On the French Riviera, the Christmas Eve is still imbued with a traditional and family spirit. The charming customs that made the magic of this celebration are still relevant in many Provencal families today. Especially the “Gros Souper”, the meal before the Midnight Mass, that ended with the traditional thirteen Christmas desserts. They symbolize the Christ and his twelve apostles, and must be served all at the time on the table. The desserts’ composition is a controversial matter in Provence, and the list varies from one city to the next. The most important is the number, but the choice of the traditional thirteen Christmas desserts is free enough, you can deal with what you found on the Christmas market, even if the symbolic desserts rather have to be respected. The guests have to taste all of them, serving them with a syrup based wine.
