1. DECEMBER 2011
Christmas time in our school
Collège St André

2. 2 décembre 2011: promulgation
du nouveau projet diocésain

3. We prepared boots in felt to send
to our Comenius partners

4. 5ème Onyx

5. Some other pupils prepared
decorations for the christmas tree!

6. In the library of the college, there
is the christmas tree!

7. We received some surprises from
our comenius schools partners:

8. Advent calendars from Germany!
Hum!!!

9. From Italy:

10. A big box from England!

11. A very big box from Holland!

12. On the 9th of december, Christmas
festivities at school: soirée de L’APEL

14. Concerts in the classes

15. Cooking a cake to send the receipe
to our Comenius partners with the
French « crème de marrons »

16. Les 13 desserts: a tradition from
south of France
Les 13 desserts: a tradition from south of France
The thirteen desserts are the traditional dessert foods used in celebrating
Christmas in the French region of Provence. The "big supper" (le gros souper)
ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles. The
desserts always number thirteen but the exact items vary by local or familial
tradition The food traditionally is set out Christmas Eve and remains on the table
three days until December 27.
Dried fruits and nuts: Four beggars
The first four of these are known as the "four beggars" (les quatre mendiants),
representing the four mendicant monastic orders: Dominicans, Franciscans,
Augustinian and Carmelites.
Raisins (Dominicans), Walnuts or hazelnuts (Augustines)
Dried figs (Franciscans), Almonds (Carmelites)
Dates, representing the foods of the region where Christ lived and died.
Dried plums from Brignoles (a town in south of France)
Fresh fruits: Apples, Pears, oranges, winter melon, grapes, tangerines
Sweets:
Calissons d'Aix en Provence: almond-paste pastry with sugar icing (marzipan)
Casse-dents of Allauch (biscuit)
Cumin and fennel seed biscuits
Fried bugnes
Fruit tourte
Oreillettes, light thin waffles
Pain d'épice Les quatre mendiants: the four beggars
Pompe à l’huile or fougasse à l'huile d'olive, a sweet cake or brioche made with
orange flower water and olive oil
quince paste (Pâte de coing)
Two kinds of nougat, symbolizing good and evil
Black nougat with honey (Nougat noir au miel), a hard candy made with honey
and almonds
White nougat (Nougat blanc), a soft candy made with sugar, eggs, pistachios,
honey, and almonds.