- from Susan
Q: Are you taking a
break or is this prime, quiet writing time for you?
A: Considering I just returned from a trip to the town in
Burgundy where my second French village mystery takes place, with photos and
notes about how the people of the area celebrate Christmas, it’s essential
writing time. DRESSED FOR DEATH is due to my editor very soon. (The first, LOVE & DEATH IN BURGUNDY, doesn't come out until May 2 and is set in the heat of summer.)
The French deal with Christmas differently than Americans
(or Germans, or Scandinavians, or Mexicans) do. Having rebelled against the
close relationship between the state and the Catholic Church in the late 18th
century, the country has been trying to decide what, exactly, is the
relationship ever since in a long series of laws.
Some French people follow Catholicism and you only have to
see the frenzied rush to get into Notre Dame Cathedral on Christmas Day for a
High Mass celebrated by a senior French Catholic priest to realize there’s
still interest. In the small towns and provincial cities, however, the Church
and its rituals are far less appealing. The real town I fictionalized for my
series has a church building long since owned by the State but used in a
desultory, occasional way for Catholic ceremonies. A traveling priest may visit
once a year to do any requested baptisms, marriages, etc. Christmas? No priest,
just a ragtag group of mostly elderly residents who sing a bit, listen to one
of their group read the Christmas text from the Bible, and try to keep warm in
the cold, stone building for an hour or less.
The real celebration is in the food, mais oui! That’s what I was researching. Fancy meats, special
pastries, candy, traditional holiday dishes. You’ll have to wait for the book
to catch the real flavor of Christmas in Burgundy. In the meantime, Joyeux
Noël!
My photo from a well-maintained church in the church city of Vezelay in Burgundy.
3 comments:
Thanks for the post and the perspectives here--and food research sounds delightful! Looking forward to the book and to seeing you at Malice! :-)
Art
Sounds like some fattening research you had there! Happy writing now, and Merry Christmas to you!
Food research is A-okay work. Now, I'm determined to make my own pain d'espice (spice cake made with honey and rye flour.)
As always - and I'm not alone in this, I lose weight in France. I think it's because 1) you walk all the time in Paris; 2) the French don't snack; and 3) you only see chips and super sweets for sale where the tourists go!
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