News Release No. 388

HOLIDAY TRADITIONS ARE SERVED UP FRENCH STYLE AT
FELIX VALLÉ HOUSE STATE HISTORIC SITE DEC. 12

Volume 32-388

Contact: Sue Holst

(For immediate release)

573-751-6510

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 1, 2004 -- The holiday season is filled with traditions that families pass down from previous generations. Throughout Missouri, immigrants from various cultures settled, bringing with them the customs and traditions of their homeland. In Ste. Genevieve, the town's French heritage and traditions are still alive. On Sunday, Dec. 12, Felix Vallé House State Historic Site will host a French Christmas Open House to portray these customs through decorations, food, music and interpretation. Between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., guests can partake in the traditional French Christmas celebration known as Le Réveillon. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the event is free and open to the public.

As Christmas nears, preparations are taking place at the Felix Vallé House as they did in the early 1800s. Enticing smells drift from the kitchen and the scent of pine fills the parlor -- all in preparation of Le Réveillon. Rèveiller means "to awaken" and Le Réveillon was the beginning of the celebration of the holiday in French homes, which began after the family attended midnight mass on Christmas Eve. During the Dec. 12 event, costumed guides will explain the customs associated with this traditional celebration and an early 1800s Christmas.

The feast prepared for Le Réveillon was epic in proportion and contained everyday favorites as well as once-a-year delicacies. Foods that were typical for the French in Missouri included roast goose or turkey, bouillon, sausage, bread, cheeses, wine, oysters and 13 desserts -- one for Christ and 12 for the apostles. Bûche de Noël, the highlight of the desserts, is symbolic of the yule log. Yule logs traditionally were soaked in a pond outside before being set ablaze during the celebration. The custom was that no work was to be done as long as the yule log burned. Guests to the historic site will have the opportunity to sample the cake representing the bûche de Noël and the dining room will be filled with other traditional foods.

The decorations adorning the Felix Vallé House also represent French customs. In the 1800s, decorations in the home were based on religious symbols. The focus of the Christmas decorations was the crèche, representing the manger scene. Santons, which are miniature clay figurines that signify real people in the community, surround the crèche. The chandelier is adorned with candles representing Jesus as the light of the world, while the greenery stands for everlasting life and apples signify man's downfall. The ivy gracing the mantle symbolizes man clinging to God, and sabots (wooden shoes), placed on the hearth, wait for le petit Noël (the Christ child) to fill them with nuts and sweets.

As guests take in the sights and aroma of Christmas around them, the sounds of traditional music will enhance the mood. "The Peacocks," who perform with hammered dulcimer, fiddle, bass and mandolin, will fill the parlor with colonial-era Christmas music.

Felix Vallé House State Historic Site is located on the corner of Merchant and Second streets in Ste. Genevieve's historic district. For more information about the event, contact the site at 573-883-7102 or the Department of Natural Resources at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For information about additional holiday events in Missouri state parks or historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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