With the frenzy we know, the consumer society has seized this sacred day, which has been celebrated in the County since the 7th century. If not already the case, take this year as an opportunity to learn how to celebrate a traditional Christmas with your family.
Today is the pace of Christmas, a celebration you will undoubtedly celebrate among your loved ones.
If you are hosting your loved ones, surprise them by celebrating this day according to the ancient traditions of the County.
Rest assured, there is no question of depriving your children of Santa Claus, but rather of offering them a Christmas Eve full of small gestures that will leave an impression. Do not forget to explain to them these symbols and customs that, in a world tending to become uniform, will anchor them in the atmosphere of Calèna. A distinctive ambiance made of rituals that they will want to pass on to their children.
Calèna, a unique name
Christmas is called “Calèna” in the Niçois dialect, a name that traces back to the Latin word calenda, (calends). It distinguishes itself from the other lexical roots found in France by not deriving from the root Nativity, which gave Noël. In the Roman calendar, the calends were the first day of the month. December 25th corresponded to the first day of that same month, hence the name.
In the year 337, Pope Julius I chose December 25th to celebrate the birth of Christ. Christian rites became widespread in the 7th century in Nice and Provence.
A profoundly Christian holiday, Christmas in the County of Nice nonetheless retains reminiscences of pagan beliefs. Some families, for example, leave meal crumbs to feed the “little souls” on Christmas Eve. For some, Calèna also encompasses an ancient pagan rite linked to the natural solar cycle: the passage from life to death.
