French week January 2017

This week has been French Week.  The theme this year was ‘fetsivals’.  In year 6 we learned about ‘La Fête des Rois’.  This festival is a celebration in France that takes place on the first Sunday after New Year ’s Day.

In 2017, it was on 8th January. The galette des rois is a cake made from puff pastry with almond paste inside and is eaten on this day.

A little plastic or china charm is placed inside the cake before serving it.  Originally a bean was placed inside the cake, which is a “fève” in French, and the word is now used for the charm.

During the cutting of the cake, the youngest member of the family goes under the table.

The person cutting the galette asks for every slice “Pour qui?” (= Whom for?).  The child under the table chooses the order in which people should be given a slice. Everyone has a piece of the cake, eats it and hopes to have the fève in it. Whoever finds the fève becomes the king or the queen !

Our lucky Kings and Queens!