How to appease the gods?
One way is to follow the Celtic tradition of Halloween,
the other is to cater to all their wishes…
- Did you Know? Halloween and La Toussaint
- Spotlight on a Sponsor – Savencia and the Caprice des Dieux
- Strengthening French-American ties and friendship
- Save the Date: December 13th Holiday Festive Dinner
- Les expressions françaises; une peur bleue!
Halloween and La Toussaint
We hope that you will have a happy and scary Halloween, that you will have ’une peur bleue’!
The Halloween tradition comes from the Celts and was introduced to the U.S. with the vast Irish immigration of the 1800’s. On the other hand La Toussaint - All Saints Day - is a Christian celebration.
During the Celtic festival of Samhain, sacrifices were made to the gods with offerings of crops and livestock. To ward off the spirits, bonfires were lit and scary costumes were worn. If you refused to participate in the offerings, the priest might place a curse on you...trick or treat! The celebration always took place at the end of October.
La Toussaint is a Catholic holiday that celebrates all the Christian martyrs, whether they were canonized or not. In May 610 Pope Boniface IV transferred the relics of the martyrs from the roman catacombs to the Pantheon and in the 8th century Pope Gregory III changed the date to November 1st and all Saints’ Day became known as All Hallows’ Eve.
It is followed on November 2nd by the “Fêtes des Morts” which is the day to remember and honor deceased family members. But the two celebrations now usually happen on the day of La Toussaint, when most French families bring chrysanthemums to the tombs of their beloved.
The timing brings together these two celebrations in connecting the evil and the good, the living and the dead.
SAVENCIA CHEESE USA
What better way to appease the gods than offering them “Caprice des Dieux”, which is exactly what our new sponsor, Savencia, plans to do by bringing this famous French cheese to the States!
Savencia Cheese USA is a family owned Fromage & Dairy company that specializes in producing and importing high-end specialty cheeses to the USA.
You might already know some of their brands such as Alouette, Chavrie and St Andre, but the origin of this company dates from 1956 when it began producing the "Caprice des Dieux" - a soft ripened cheese made of fresh milk and cream.
Originally, on its wooden boxes, Zeus and Poseidon showed their appreciation for such a great offering!
By clicking on these links:
Strengthening French-American ties and friendship
Meanwhile French-American ties and friendship have been at work in October with the 100th anniversary of the selection in Chalons, France, of the American Unknown Soldier, and with the strengthening of the economic agreement between Maryland and the region Hauts de France.
100th Anniversary of the Unknown Soldier
Our member the Arlington-Reims committee of the Arlington Sister City Association (ASCA) organized a beautiful ceremony on Sunday the 24th to mark the 100th anniversary of the selection of the American Unknown Soldier.
A wreath was laid at the Tomb by a French delegation of representatives from the region where the selection was made: the city of Chalons was represented by former Mayor Bruno Bourg-Broc, the city of Reims by Philippe Germain , Arlington County by Libby Garvey of the Arlington County Board, and Libby Schollaert represented the Arlington-Reims Sister City Committee.
The wreath was laid in the presence of the French Consul General, the French Military Attaché, representatives of the U.S Armed Forces and a delegation from CT member French Veterans Association.
French-American friendship at its best.
Maryland – Hauts de France economic agreement
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan and Hauts-de-France region President Xavier Bertrand during an online ceremony last year on December 2nd, 2020.
This year the parties were finally able to meet in person and work on the strengthening of economic ties in the sectors of cybersecurity, life sciences and equine industries, as well as educational exchanges.
A reception followed at the residence of the French Ambassador Philippe Etienne.
Our Last Solidarity Dinner at RIS
Our last Solidarity dinner at RIS was not only a great success...it was a delicious, friendly, happy gathering.
The menu was outstanding and we were so thankful to Chef Ris Lacoste who came to see each one of us and practice her French...OULALA!
SAVE THE DATE
December 13th at 6:30pm our Holiday Festive Dinner will be at L’ARDENTE!
Les expressions françaises!
’Avoir une peur bleue’: (a blue fear).
On the day of Halloween you might turn blue as you fight off the evil spirits before All Saints Day.
Avoir une peur bleue is a fairly recent French expression related to the fact that a great fear impairs the body’s ability to deliver normal levels of oxygen to the blood: oxygen deficiency, also known as hypoxia, can make you turn blue!
SO WE WISH YOU A HAPPY AND SCARY HALLOWEEN!
Get to know our Members
Check our website to get to know each of our member organizations since we cannot include all their offers. You might also be interested in joining them either to support them or to take full advantage of their great cultural programs.
Just scan this QR code and go straight to our Homepage.
