Chandeleur 2027: date and crêpe traditions

In 2027, Chandeleur falls on Tuesday 2 February. Known in English as Candlemas, it is the day when all of France gets out its crêpe pans. But where does this celebration come from, and why crêpes?

The essentials: Chandeleur 2027 is on Tuesday 2 February 2027. It always falls on 2 February, forty days after Christmas. It is not a public holiday in France: people simply celebrate by eating crêpes.

When is Chandeleur?

Chandeleur is not a movable feast: it is fixed on 2 February, forty days after Christmas. Only the day of the week changes from one year to the next (in 2026, it was a Monday).

It is not a public holiday in France: schools, offices and shops stay open, and the pans come out in the evening.

What about Mardi Gras? It is the other big day for crêpes and doughnuts (the same day as Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day in the UK), but its date depends on Easter. In 2027, it falls on Tuesday 9 February, a week after Chandeleur (see our article Mardi Gras 2027). In Alsace, it is the season for carnival doughnuts, and the next day the Mulhouse Carnival begins, running from 10 to 14 February 2027.

A festival of light

Chandeleur is first and foremost a Christian feast: the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, celebrated forty days after Christmas. Its name comes from the Latin festa candelarum, the "feast of candles": on that day, candles were blessed and the faithful took them home to protect the house.

The feast probably took the place of older celebrations: the Roman Lupercalia, in mid-February, and the Celtic festival of Imbolc, on 1 February, which celebrated purification and the gradual return of the light.

Why do the French eat crêpes?

Several explanations circulate. Pope Gelasius I, at the end of the 5th century, is credited with handing out crêpes to pilgrims arriving in Rome. The tradition is also linked to offerings of galettes made with wheat from the previous harvest, to bring about a good harvest. And of course, with their round, golden shape, crêpes evoke the sun returning after winter.

The gold coin in your hand

This is the best-known tradition: flip the first crêpe with your right hand while holding a gold coin in your left hand. If the crêpe lands neatly back in the pan, prosperity is guaranteed for the year. The coin was then wrapped in the crêpe, which was stored on top of the wardrobe until the following year.

Chandeleur proverbs

Chandeleur was also a day for predicting the weather and the harvest:

• « À la Chandeleur, l'hiver se meurt ou prend vigueur. »: "At Candlemas, winter either dies or grows stronger."
• « À la Chandeleur, les jours rallongent de la longueur d'une chandelle. »: "At Candlemas, the days grow longer by the length of a candle."
• « Quand il pleut pour la Chandeleur, il pleut pendant quarante jours. »: "When it rains at Candlemas, it rains for forty days."
• « Qui mange des crêpes quand la Chandeleur est arrivée, est sûr d'avoir argent pendant l'année. »: "Whoever eats crêpes when Candlemas has come is sure to have money all year."

Celebrating Chandeleur in Mulhouse

Don't feel like doing the washing-up? In 2027, Chandeleur falls on a Tuesday, when the Crampous Mad crêperie is open, at 14 rue des Tondeurs, near Place de la Réunion. We welcome you from 11:30 am to 9 pm, with service all day: 100% buckwheat galettes such as the Complète, crêpes with sugar, the Spéciale du Faouët with salted butter caramel, or flambéed crêpes. Crêpes and galettes are also available to take away.

To be sure of a table, book by phone on 03 89 45 79 43, and take a look at our menu before you come.

Article updated on 28 October 2026. Dates are calculated from the calendar: Mardi Gras falls 47 days before Easter, which is on 28 March in 2027.