French council accused of ‘destroying’ country's Christian heritage over 'pagan' pastry
9 January 2025, 23:27
A French council has been accused of ‘destroying’ the country's Christian heritage with a tasty 'pagan' pastry.
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Marseilles council came under fire as the nation celebrated Epiphany with a beloved French pastry, traditionally comprised of frangipane.
However, this year the baked treat has divided the region, after the left-wing council referred to Epiphany as “a convivial food lovers’ pagan festival” in an email to school parents.
The cake is served annually to students the city’s 470 schools, with the most recent labelling leading right-wing protesters to suggest France’s Christian heritage is being suppressed to "woo" the votes of Muslims.
Almost 50 million Epiphany cakes are sold during the first two weeks of January, with French President Emmanuel Macron pictured cutting into an Epiphany cake after his speech to the French Bakery and Pastry Federation in Paris on Monday.
Furious right-wing protesters have been speaking out following the email, with one opposition councillor, Une Volonté Pour Marseille (A Will for Marseilles), saying: “Epiphany is not a pagan food lovers’ festival.”
“On the contrary, it is the adoration of the [Three] Kings for the newborn infant Jesus.”
French Epiphany cakes, more commonly known as a galette des rois, literally translates as a 'galette of the kings'.
Rooted in history, the sweet treat can be traced back to Roman times, with festivals dedicated to Saturn and longer days after the winter solstice.
Catherine Pila, a centre-right Republicans councillor, added: “The reality … is that they want to destroy our roots. It’s a deconstruction of [our] identity.”
The council has now been accused of trying to capture the local Muslim vote, who make up about 30 per cent of the city’s 873,000 population.
However, a council spokesman dismissed such speculation, adding: “Epiphany goes back much further than Christians or Catholics.”
