Au Petit St. Thomas Paris, Exposition de jouets, par Jules Chéret, 1883.

Pas de cadeaux pour toi!

Figurez-vous que l’origine des étrennes remonte à la Rome antique, et que le mot “étrennes” serait dérivé de “Strena”, du nom de la déesse de la santé. Les Romains, qui avaient bien compris que le sucre c’est la vie, s’offraient le jour du nouvel an des figues, des dates, du miel, soit plein de douceurs qui symbolisaient toutes les bonnes choses qu’ils souhaitaient voir arriver dans l’année à…

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"Bible Album: Art Book" by Esdras Pierre Etrenne

Majestic Word, Majestic Creation #books #bookreview #reading #readerviews

Bible Album: Art Book Esdras Pierre EtrenneIndependently Published (2023)ASIN‏: ‎ B0BRVK1TYGReviewed by Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (05/2023) Esdras Etrenne is a man with a heart for the Word of God. He has a desire to make the Scriptures come alive for people. He wants to make them more memorable. In his introduction, he says he hopes the “Bible Album: Art Book” (New Heart English Bible…

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When talking about the French Père Noël, one has to evoke a variation of his that is NOT Saint Nicolas. I already evoked several times the various names of the Christmas gift-giver (Père Noël, Bonhomme Noël) and how he was tied to the gift-giver of the beginning of December (Saint Nicolas). But there was also a gift-giver at the end of the year... A gift giver of New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. Remember when I talked before of "Père Etrennes" or "Bonhomme Etrennes"? The "étrennes" are a French tradition whose closer English equivalent would be the word "handsel/hansel".

The étrennes were originally gifts that were given to friends, family and other next of kind at the beginning of January to celebrate New Year. Today the tradition has massively evolved - étrennes are given at the end of December rather than early January, it is money rather than gifts, and they are now a gesture of kindness destined to those employed by you or that work for the community (the fireman, the mailman, the housekeeper, the garbage collector...). But despite this evolution, "étrennes" stayed associated with an appreciative and kind giving gesture around New Year. And where there's gifts, there's a gift-giver...

This website presents us with this picture, a 1930s postcard, and says it could be the Père Fouettard... or the Père Janvier (Father January).

In the French region of Bourgogne, there was no "Père Noël" or Father Christmas in the early 20th century: rather there was Father January, Père Janvier, who came around New Year to give the étrennes - the gifts. By the 1930s the tradition was still very strong, especially in the Morvan and the Nivernais - as well as in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Father January had moved to the North of France when in the mid 19th century a lot of people from the Morvan went to work in the mines there). And from the 1930s to the 1960s, in all those areas, there was a transition from Père Janvier to Père Noël, resulting in the children of those three decades to have the benefit of two mysterious supernatural benefactors coming at the end of the year... Before Père Janvier stopped coming by the 60s, definitively replaced by Père Noël (the Americanized one of course, remember post-50s Père Noël is just Santa Claus with a different name).

This other website goes into more details about the world of Père Janvier - or rather of Bonhomme Janvier (Old Man January/The January Man).

Le Père Janvier, or Bonhomme Janvier, existed for a very long time in the tradition of the Berry region, before the Père Noël was even introduced. Not just in the Berry, but also in the Morvan and in all of Bourgogne - and even in many others areas of France! Lyon knew of him, the Haute Marne, Saône-et-Loire, Ardèche - they all had records of Father January, this white-bearded old man that brought gifts to children on the 1st of January. In the Berry region, the Père Janvier usually left sweets inside in their slippers for New Years Day, and on New Years Eve chimneys were carefully cleaned up so he could enter the house unsoiled.

And just like Saint Nicolas or Père Noël, Bonhomme Janvier ALSO was followed by Père Fouettard, with his wicker basket filled with "martinets" (beating/whipping tools for naughty children):

While sometimes Bonhomme Janvier brought many toys or sweets (found in the children's shoes or "sabots" placed by the chimney), there was one tradition according to which Janvier only ever brought one item per person, not more - with sometimes a sweet or candy to accompany it (often it was a pipe made of sugar). Tradition claimed it was because Père Janvier hated greedy or gluttonous children - but more realistically, it was probably just a tale invented by poor families to justify the lack of gifts...

And of course, as Père Noël arrived in the 20th century, Bonhomme Janvier slowly faded away...

''Etrennes aux Galeries Métropole, rue du Faubourg Montmartre'', affiche de 1899 - Source LiveAuctioneers.

[FRENCH OBJET DE TOILETTE.] 18th-century French red gilt-decorated morocco pull-off case in miniature book form, sides with a semé of stars, lettered and decorated at center with a rebus: back with letters 'L' and 'C' (i.e. "Elle sait") and a Chariot (French char) and the syllable "me" (i.e. "charmer"), the whole meaning "Elle sait charmer" ("She knows how to charm"), front side with a young boy playing a lyre, green morocco edges, spine gilt-lettered "Etrenne du Sentim," pulling off to reveal a faceted glass perfume bottle (lacking stopper).

Christie’s

COUTUME | Étrennes et nouvel an : origine et histoire ➽ http://bit.ly/Etrennes-Nouvel-An Le premier endroit de l’histoire romaine nous apprenant la coutume des étrennes est de Symmachus, auteur ancien, qui nous rapporte qu’elle fut introduite sous l’autorité du roi Tatius Sabinus, adversaire de Romulus, qui reçut le premier la verbène (verveine) du bois sacré de la déesse Strénia, pour le bon augure de la nouvelle année

Codex entry: Spirit of Wisdom

“When the summoning ritual was complete, the spirit appeared. Both spirits and demons have no gender as we understand it, but this one, much like the rare and dangerous desire demon, presented as female. Although its form was not threatening, the spirit carried itself with a confidence, an awareness, I suppose, that I have seen only in the most powerful of demons.

This spirit of wisdom was polite and courteous. It answered our questions about the Fade, even acknowledging the difficulty when we could not understand what it meant. There was none of the bargaining one normally associates with a summoned creature, save that the spirit sometimes asked us questions as well. Heras shared a mathematical formula he had recently proven, while Etrenne explained her study on magical themes in the Chant of Light, and young Rhys talked a little about his mother.

When we were finished, the spirit thanked us for the conversation and then vanished, although none of us had dismissed it. We soon discovered that the summoning ritual we had devised was critically flawed. The spirit had been under no compulsion to come or remain. All the time it had talked with us, it had stayed of its own volition. Heras was greatly concerned that such a powerful spirit remained free, and has updated the ritual to correct for the weakness in the binding enchantment. I understand his caution, but I also confess that I quite enjoyed the conversation. I am not certain the spirit would have talked so freely had it been shackled at the time.”

—An excerpt from Spirits of the Spire by Senior Enchanter Francois

Une journée de plus sous les cocotiers au soleil ... On profite !

Petite matinée tranquille à faire Tarzan dans une cascade (et à galérer pour remonter la corde, ils faisaient 2m20 ceux qui ont installé ça !)

Puis après midi tranquillou au bord de la plage à etrenner mon masque, bouquiner, et aider à donner un coup de propre à ce coin de paradis (deux énormes sacs poubelle remplis de déchets plastiques ramenés par la marée, apparemment sur les plages touristiques ils font des tours tous les matins pour récolter les cadeaux de la nuit. Fières !)

Puis coucher de soleil en mangeant des mangues trop booooonnes et se remplir l'âme des derniers rayons rougeoyants...

Des bizoux mouillés salés 😘

Sunday 10 January 1836

8 25

11 25

no kiss A- had another restless night from the soreness of the blister place - but the place doing well this morning - no need to change the linen - went down and made breakfast at 9 20 - a few minutes with my father and Marian before A- came down - afterwards till 11 ¼ looking over Spanish and French botany in the encyclopaedia of geology - then had Charlotte Booth for 10 minutes in my study - gave her the Etrenne from my aunt and as much from myself altogether 10/. - then had motion in the court - wrote the above of this morning till 11 ¾ at which hour F32 ½° and fine cold frosty day -

 SH:7/ML/E/18/0159

 at 12 in 25 minutes read prayers to my aunt (in bed) and Oddy and Mary and the 2 men - A- sat quietly in the blue room - then had Mr. Jubb near ½ hour - talked moving the Dispensary - the present situation unhealthy - mal aria from the too often used water of a stream engine and common shore - suggested the propriety of ascertaining the line of level of the nuisance, and seeing if it might be possible to put the patients in the garret so as to be above the influence of the noxious vapour - affects those who have wounds does not affect the people in the house who are in health or have had no surgical operation performed - asked if there was any anatomical museum attached to the Dispensary - no! - nor to the philosophical society’s museum - proposed their fitting one upon in the council room - Mr. Jubb offered to shew me his own private collection - thinks of reading a lecture on the Ear to the philosophical society but waiting for a skull from Paris for better exemplification - offered to give him any assistance I could - my aunt much better and A- too - mention of  Mr. Day Mr. Jubb will improve upon our spirit of wine and camphor by adding a little turpentine - at the school in ¼ hour at 2 ¼ - sat 1/4 hour in the carriage reading Rennies’ alphabet of Medical botany - Mr. Bates did all the duty - preached very fairly 21 minutes from Joshua xlv. 22 chapter 45. v. 22.  - ½ hour at Cliff hill - home at 5 5 - sat talking - dressed - dinner at 6 ¼ - coffee - A- and I about ½ hour with my father and Marian - then A- near ½ hour with my aunt I looking over alphabet of medical Botany and writing the above of today till 8 ½ - then wrote 3 pages of ½ sheet to Dr. Belcombe recommending Jane Thirsk my sister’s favourite and confidential servant to his care - to tell her own case - if anybody can cure her Dr. B- can and if he can she is to be my sister’s waiting woman and factotum - ask him to write by and by and say what he thinks of the chances of restoring her (Jane) to good trustworthy health - then wrote 3 pages of inquire after Mr. and Mrs. Duffin - then 20 minutes with my aunt till 10 10 - then undressed - fine cold frosty day F28° at 10 ½ pm.

AAAAAAA

I CAN BUY AN ETRENNAL 1TB SAD FOR A HUNDRED BUCKS???????? *squeals* BALDURS GATE AND NON LAGGY SIMS 4 HERE I COME

Aux Buttes Chaumont, Jouets et Objets pour étrennes, par Jules Chéret, 1898.

“Jouets Etrennes” from the book “Graphic Design vol 1 1890-1959”

I like how the yellow, black and blue compliment eachother in this photo, I also like the idea of making the text have a ‘3d’ effect though I think it could of been executed better.

I dont mind this work but I personally dont think I will be using it in my work.

ASYLUM @Lyon, vous souhaite des excellentes Fêtes et une extraordinaire NouvelleAnnée ! Si vous avez été satisfaits par nos services et vous souhaitez nous remercier ou soutenir, vous pouvez nous aider dès à présent, en laissant avis et commentaires sur profil Google et Page facebook, et en parlant du nous autour de vous. Merci ! A bientôt, dans le nouveau Shop/Galerie. LugusAsylumSARL - Lyon1er

As a continuation of my posts about the Père Noël (here and here already - this will become a full series), I want to expand a bit on what I said about the confusion between Père Noël (Father Christmas), and his "dark companion", Père Fouettard (Father Whipper) - the gift-giver and the punishment-giver.

There is this famous image (that appeared in a book about the evolution of Christmas symbols of mine, that I might talk about next year) that truly shows how the two figures were supposed to be so much look-alikes you had a hard time telling them apart.

Once again, they were the two sides of the same coin. Same stern look, same beard. The two have a basket: one filled with toys, the other filled with crying children. The two carry wood - but while Père Noël or Bonhomme Noël carries a small Christmas tree or a walking staff, Père Fouettard carries the branches used to whip children.

This explains why there is an overlap between the imagery of Père Noël...

... and the imagery of Père Fouettard.

Resulting in confusing images where you don't know if you have Noël or Fouettard in front of you...

Sometimes Père Noël is explicitely confused with Saint Nicolas, which is no surprise since he partially derives from him, and Saint Nicolas also acts as Père Fouettard's companion...

... But surprisingly, sometimes the Père Fouettard himself is confused with Saint Nicholas.

Here's an humoristic Saint Nicolas card depicting the saint with Père Fouettard (it was done in the honor of the end of a church's construction if I recall):

And here is an illustration that invokes not only Père Noël and Saint Nicolas, but another variation of the character rather related to the end of the year - Bonhomme Etrennes/Père Etrennes. More about him later:

Bonne année * Meilleurs voeux * Happy New Year * Best wishes * Frohes neues Jahr * Feliz año nuevo a todos * Auguri .

''Etrennes aux Galeries Métropole, rue du Faubourg Montmartre'', affiche de 1899 - Source LiveAuctioneers.