On the afternoon of January 8th, the delightful aroma of Galette des rois and the cozy vibes of the Chinese New Year filled the No.1 Research Building. A New Year greetings event and a Galette des rois tasting event were held at the Teacher's Home. Foreign teachers and Chinese faculty and staff, came together to explore French traditions and celebrated the new year of 2024.
As the event kicked off, Vice Director Zhang Wei, on behalf of the institute, extended New Year greetings and blessings to all foreign teachers. He expressed gratitude for the significant contributions of the foreign teachers during the first semester, which was marked by both challenges and innovations. Their efforts were recognized as crucial contributions to student education and international cooperation of the institute.
The foreign teachers also prepared a short video, introducing the origin and cultural significance of the Galette des rois to everyone. In France, every year on January 6th, people share the Galette des rois, which contains a small fava bean (fève). According to tradition, the youngest child will hide under the table and determine the order of distributing the Galette des rois. The fortunate one who discovers the fève will be crowned as the king or queen of the day. Over time, the fève gradually evolved from a fava bean to a small porcelain figurine, and the styles and types of fèves became more diverse. Statistics show that the French consume around 30 million Galette des rois each year. After learning about the cultural customs related to the Galette des rois, Mr. Louie from Franquette Bakery introduced the ingredients, methods, and steps involved in making the Galette des rois. The atmosphere was lively and engaging.
Everyone enjoyed tasting the Galette des rois together, and the foreign teachers got to savor the flavors of their home country once again. The lucky ones who found the fève were celebrated as the king or queen of the day. Let's take a look at who was crowned! May the good fortune brought by the Galette des rois accompany everyone into a hopeful and promising new year.
