aixcentric

A reminder that Monday is the feast of Ste Barbe, the official day for planting your blé d’ésperance. If you are new to the area, this is the mix of seeds sold in little packets everywhere in town for 1€. The custom is to germinate the seeds on damp fabric on the window-sill so that you soon have lovely green shoots. You tie a red satin ribbon around them and place them on your Christmas Eve table as a pretty Provençal centrepiece and to ensure prosperity for the following year.

The commercialisation of this ancient custom took off 25 years ago when a group of local people began selling the seeds specifically to raise money to decorate areas of hospitals in Marseille where children are treated. Colourful panels, bright decorations and toys can transform the usual sterility of the hospital environment and make it less frightening. ‘Un enfant qui joue, c’est déja un enfant qui va mieux’ is the philosophy.

I don’t think all the packs of seeds sold are for charity, but maybe it’s just as good to help people willing to sit in the cold wind to make a little money at Christmas-time.