NOEL ET JOUR DE L'AN

On désigne généralement par trêve des confiseurs la semaine entre Noël et le jour de l’an.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        C’est généralement une période de ralentissement politique et diplomatique, sauf pour les confiseurs, puisque c’est le moment de l’année où ils travaillent le plus.Lors des fêtes de fin d’année, on échange bonbons, chocolats et petits cadeaux.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Pour la petite histoire, cette tradition qui remonte à la Trêve de Dieu, imposée en France par Saint-Louis vers 1245, est plus connue aujourd’hui sous le nom de la Trêve des Confiseurs. L’Eglise demandait que les combats guerriers soient arrêtés pendant l’Avent à Noël, le Carême et Pâques. Les combattants devaient attendre pour reprendre les hostilités.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Cette trêve a aussi été appelée, Trêve de Noël, en référence à la période de Noël 1914 de la 1ère guerre mondiale, pour décrire plusieurs et brefs cessez-le-feu, non officiels, qui ont eu lieu entre les troupes allemandes, britanniques et françaises.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Mais revenons aux confiseurs : Au 12ème siècle, les Croisés font découvrir à l’Europe la canne à sucre … C’est le début de la confiserie …
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Ce n’est qu’au 19ème siècle que le sucre se démocratise réellement, grâce à l’apparition du sucre de betterave. C’est une véritable révolution…
Depuis, les confiseurs n’ont de cesse de créer de nouveaux bonbons et de nouvelles spécialités, issus de la tradition et de leur savoir-faire, dont la plupart existent encore aujourd’hui.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      En toute fête, en tout événement : anniversaire, mariage, baptême, fête de fin d’année, les bonbons et confiserie ont accompagné l’histoire de notre pays depuis des siècles et font partie de notre patrimoine et de nos traditions culinaires.
 Les  chocolats et les macarons participent à la tradition … A déguster avec modération !                                     

 La trève des Confiseurs, est aussi l'arrêt des activités politiques pendant les fêtes de fin d'année ...