DÉFENSE ZONE
Christmas is an unmissable, unifying occasion for hundreds of millions of people around the world. For many, it is a chance to gather as a family around the traditional meal and the opening of presents. For the military, Christmas is a special time. Many of them are far from home, sometimes thousands of kilometres away. The festive season then becomes an occasion for moments of cohesion, sharing and “rituals”, some of which have been in place for a very long time. A brief overview.
The Christmas truce
Throughout history, there are several accounts of fighting that stopped briefly over Christmas. But the most famous story dates back to 25 December 1914.
The First World War had been raging for a few months. Near the town of Ypres, French, Belgian and British soldiers were dug into the trenches facing the German soldiers. The Germans placed small Christmas trees along the trenches and decided to climb out, singing Christmas carols. Reaching the middle of no man’s land, they invited the British soldiers to join them and exchange gifts. The next morning the soldiers played a football match before listening to Christmas hymns sung by the tenor Walter Kirchhoff, a German opera singer then serving as an orderly officer. A few days later, fighting resumed between the two sides.
There were other truces during the First World War, but most of these events were censored by the general staffs, and few written traces remain of these brief moments of “fraternity”.
Father Christmas on every front
It is a deeply rooted tradition in the military: at Christmas, the Father Christmas outfit becomes the mandatory new camouflage. Ships, regiments, air bases, on overseas operations (OPEX) or in mainland France, most units share pictures of Father Christmas visiting the most unlikely places. Entirely humorous, it is also a way of sharing this special moment spent far from family.
Christmas presents
No Christmas without presents. The military has embraced this tradition for a very long time. Although service personnel sometimes exchange gifts among themselves, it is also an opportunity for those in France to show their support for comrades deployed on operations. Every year, the armed forces send Christmas parcels to several thousand soldiers. Some are prepared by the general staffs, others by associations. Besides the gift, it is also a chance to involve family, friends and children, who slip a small note of support into the parcels.
Christmas dinner
No Christmas celebration without a good meal. For soldiers on a mission at that time, 24 or 25 December is an opportunity to prepare an improved meal. For the luckiest, the cooks display their full range of skills to prepare a real festive meal. For the most isolated personnel, the Armed Forces Commissariat Service developed a “festive special” combat ration a few years ago. Inside, there is a fruit cocktail, duck mousse, a dish to heat up (guinea fowl or monkfish, for example) and a choice of dessert. These first festive rations appeared on 14 July 2016 and, given their success, were then renewed every 14 July and every Christmas for soldiers on operations.
Christmas dinner is also an occasion for the highest military and civilian authorities to spend some time with soldiers on operations. Every year, the President of the Republic (the head of the armed forces), as well as the Minister of the Armed Forces and the Chief of the Defence Staff (CEMA), spend a few hours visiting the French military’s overseas operations.
Christmas in the French Foreign Legion
In the French Foreign Legion, Christmas is a special and particularly important time. Traditionally considered the most important family celebration of the year, Christmas Eve takes on a particular meaning for these soldiers who have come from all over the world to serve under the French flag. For the green berets, the Legion is regarded as a second family, and to mark this bond all legionnaires, whatever their rank or family situation, gather on 24 December to celebrate Christmas together.
But in the Legion there is another tradition deeply rooted in every unit: the Christmas nativity scene. At the end of each year, every company in the regiment must create a nativity scene. Whether living or simply made of sets built by the legionnaires, they receive very special attention. Once finished, they are put to the vote of the commanding officer and a few senior ranks, who choose the most beautiful and original one. These elite soldiers take this tradition particularly seriously and devote time and energy to it. Winning the competition for the finest nativity scene is a real source of pride for the men of the white kepi.
Service personnel deployed on operations
Nearly 30,000 service personnel are currently deployed on operations: 13,300 on national territory, in mainland France and overseas, and 16,700 abroad, on overseas operations and with prepositioned forces.
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