Children and parents gathered at la Petite Ecole Kentoise de Maidstone on Saturday 2 February to celebrate la Chandeleur with handmade crêpes.
La Chandeleur is a French celebration during which people traditionally eat crêpes and drink cider. While some say that la Chandeleur celebrates the return of sunny days (crêpes symbolise the sun), others say that making crêpes is about using the extra wheat ahead of the new harvest.
Traditional ritual plays an important part in this celebration too. It is said that flipping a crêpe while holding a coin in the other hand brings financial security. The more pessimists believe that if it rains at la Chandeleur, it will rain for another 40 consecutive days.
La Petite Ecole Kentoise is a meeting point for French speaking bilingual families in the Maidstone, Medway and Ashford area offers French as a native language lessons allowing children to speak French outside of the family environment and make friends with children in a similar bilingual situation.
La Petite Ecole was founded in 2008 by a few mums who wanted to give their children access French culture and additional French lessons. Today over 40 children attend la Petite Ecole.
Lessons take place on Saturday morning in a fun and relaxed environment where children can learn to speak and write French and develop their knowledge of French culture. For parents, it’s an opportunity to chat, in French, around a coffee or to play Scrabble.
For more information, visit www.pekmaidstone.org.uk or the Facebook page (search: Petite Ecole Kentoise de Maidstone)
