The last time I visited Provence, it was spring, the month of May. As I walked the streets of Aix looking for my lunch, I stopped into a bakery to get a sandwich for a picnic. In the window was a stack of round flatbreads, all marked with the letter G on top.

What are those?, I asked the boulanger behind the counter at Le Gibassié – 46 rue Espariat. Those, he told me, are Gibassié, one of the Thirteen Desserts of Noël.

Standing in line for my lunch was not the place to ask for a definition or explanation of the Thirteen Desserts. But over time, as I asked around, I gathered the following information.

Every home in Provence has their own style of celebrating this holiday. But the central idea goes something like this:

On Christmas Eve the families of Provence have le gros souper, a great supper, before going to midnight mass. Each dish included in this meal, and the way the table is set, has its own symbolism in which numbers and colors play an important part.

The dinner is made up of seven courses which represent the seven sorrows of Mary. The sorrows are represented by non-meat dishes made up of fish, shellfish, gratins, vegetables, soups and anchoïade. The dinner is served with thirteen bread rolls which represent the Last Supper with Jesus and the Twelve Apostles.

The buffet table is set with three white tablecloths with three white, lit candles. The number three and the color white stands for The Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Among the candles is the bowl of sprouted wheat or lentils that were previously planted on Sainte Barbe’s Day (December 4th). The sprouts are a symbol of rebirth.

The Thirteen Desserts are eaten after Midnight mass and are filled more with symbolism than sugar and include:

** Bowls of walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds and raisins. These nuts and dried fruit are known as the four beggars, called mendicants because their colors resemble the clothes of the medicant monks – the Carmelitess, the Dominicans, the Franciscans and the Augustinians.

** A bowl of dates symbolize the journey of Christ who came from the East.

** Black nougat made with honey and almonds can symbolize evil.

** White nougat made with pistachios, pine nuts, hazelnuts, honey, eggs and sugar can symbolize all that is good in the world.

** The Gibassié or the Fougasse are flat loaves of bread made with olive oil. The Gibassié (pictured at the top) is a little more sweet with a scent of orange. Traditionally, these breads should be broken and not cut.

** There are the fruits of Provence, figs, oranges, and Clementines.

** Fortified wine symbolizes Jesus himself.

** Other offerings may include the ever popular Calissons d’Aix, apples, pears, grapes, jams, verdau – a Christmas melon, and a newer addition to the list – a Yule log.

These desserts should be presented in large quantities and each person at the meal should taste each of the Thirteen Desserts. Children are not permitted to taste them until they can name all thirteen. Eating at least a sample of all thirteen brings luck in the coming of the new year!

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