The scent of mulled wine, the pretty decorated fir trees, the snowmen and Santa Claus chatting in the swirls of incense. These are the Christmas markets which are opening at the moment, the one in Strasbourg yesterday for example. They are among the most famous in the world, those found in France. The view of sociologist Jean Viard on this annual event, very popular in our country.
franceinfo: Why do the French love Christmas markets so much?
Jean Viard: It’s the great celebration of childhood. Even in such a tragic context, it is the celebration of childhood, the celebration of life. It is also, in a way, the celebration of love, because children are the fruit of love, in a society which is overwhelmingly non-religious. 52% of people say they have nothing to do with religion, but there are about 38% who identify with Christian cultures, and there are 4% of people who go to mass …
So Christmas is no longer a religious holiday, in your opinion?
For Christians, yes, and I respect it a lot, but it is clear that they are very much in the minority. There are 9% of French people who are Muslim, and very often, not all, but very often their children celebrate Christmas because Christmas, that’s it, is Children’s Day. It’s like us, we have American parties, even though we’re not Americans.
So let’s not make it a religious festival first of all. Let’s first make it a celebration of happiness, of joy, of family. It’s a moment of hope, and I believe that we need these positive values to somewhat counterbalance certain tragic values.
There, we’re talking about the Christmas party, but hey, it’s not yet yet, but these markets are still like a milestone in the year, a benchmark, it’s the arrival of Christmas coming up?
It’s a bit like the Lille clearance sale, like the Avignon festival; we have in Strasbourg, it’s the biggest, but it’s not the only one, there are now everywhere. They are often small wooden cabins, which are built on main streets or on squares.
So these are separate businesses. It’s not usually very expensive things, it’s more like candles, lots of little gifts. We often make little Santa Claus characters with the children, etc. So it’s not a huge celebration of consumption, the Christmas markets, it’s more the festive side, including going there together, going there as a family.
And it’s also the city that lights up. We change the lighting, we use trees a lot as supports, so we create extraordinary shapes. There is also this Festival of Lights that we must not forget, which is part of the Christmas markets.
When we hear about the war of the world’s anxieties, are these moments particularly important?
Yes, because it’s true that at the moment there are wars, the war in Ukraine, there was the attack in Israel on October 7, the bombings of Gaza. There are indeed very violent things, and what’s more, we see a lot, including children see a lot. And then we are still in the post-pandemic, we are all still in the trauma of this period which is reinforced by what is happening.
Edgar Morin’s latest book is My enemy is hatred, I really like this title. Indeed, there are places where there is extraordinary violence, barbarity. It’s precisely the time to put the positive in order to try to restore balance in a world that is very fragile.
So putting back the positive, does that mean that at Christmas time and the Christmas markets which are above all markets, we should not enter into the debate of sobriety and consumerism, etc.? It has no place, we have to think positive?
No, no, I liked it. I know there is debate about the ADEME campaign. Look at the Christmas toys, last year a lot of them were second-hand toys, I think that’s wonderful. And so indeed, we are entering, at the same time, an economy of sobriety, an economy of reuse. It’s chic to wear something that has already been worn, etc. And I find that extremely positive.
The climate war must be won by the desire to live, not the desire to die. So we need a desire to live, we need moments of joy, It strengthens us for the fight. And then we are from a generation, two or three generations who will evolve, change their way of life, but who will do it with joy, it is better than doing it in despair.
The ADEME campaign that you mention encourages consumers to repair, to rent, rather than to buy, so, obviously, some traders have expressed their anger. You say, we need to adapt Christmas, not to do cheap Christmases, we just need to adapt Christmas to the spirit of the times?
It’s like everything, like the way you move around, how you heat yourself, like putting in double glazing. We are in the midst of an immense cultural and technological revolution, a fight which mobilizes us, but which is not sad. And Christmas is children’s day, children are the heart of desire for the future.
And you know, when there are almost 30% of students who say: I would not have children, because I am afraid for my career, and because I am afraid for the climate, we must give back the desire for people for a future, because it is because we desire the future that we fight, otherwise, we stop. So Christmas, Children’s Day, Future Day, let’s do it happily.