Photo courtesy of Eric Bony, Mairie 19ème Paris
Happy new year - the French way
Published: January 29, 2012
The French are at it again. They've carried the Christmas holidays into overtime and they'll be proposing toasts and clinking glasses of champagne right through to January 31st.
'Tis the season to be jolly. More seriously, 'tis the season to get a message across, which may be the true motivating factor behind a month of get-togethers and ceremonies, where "voeux" or "wishes" for the new year are exchanged. In 2012, a year when the French, like Americans, will be electing a new president, the standard greeting, "bonne annee" (happy new year) may very well represent the kickoff of this year's presidential campaign.
By the end of the month, President Sarkozy - who has not yet announced his bid for re-election, although everyone knows he will - will have pronounced those words thousands of times, in every corner of France. As I write, the president is midway through what the French media have dubbed his "marathon des voeux," one day addressing teachers, the next metalworkers, the next members of Parliament, etc., etc., etc. In this election year, each encounter becomes an opportunity to take a political stand.
After getting the traditional greetings out of the way, President Sarkozy gets down to business, announcing reforms, proposing new laws at the rate of about one a day. Government spokesmen insist the president is not campaigning; he is simply behaving "presidentially." Constitutional and parliamentary experts argue, however, that there is no way these reforms could be carried out before the end of the current session of Parliament in March. On April 22, the first round of presidential elections will take place.
The 14 other presidential hopefuls, ranging from the far left to the far right, are also getting into the act, combining new year's greetings and campaign promises, although you can be sure none of them get the same media exposure as President Sarkozy.
On TV, on the radio, I've heard the wishes of some of the more important candidates, those with a chance of making it to the second round, like François Hollande, the Socialist candidate; Francois Bayrou, representing the center; or Marine LePen, candidate of the National Front, a far-right political formation striving for respectability. All of them are striving to be heard, ready to enter the ring and fight it out with candidate Sarkozy, but, at least for the moment, the president, not yet candidate, has chosen to ignore them all.
Instead, President Sarkozy is concentrating on the citizens of France, respecting an illustrious tradition with roots in ancient Rome, where each year began with vows for the security and health of the republic. Interestingly, my Webster's dictionary tells me the words "vote" and "vow" share the same Latin root, "votum," which can also mean "wish." So we're back to where we started from: new year's wishes and political campaigning have long gone hand in hand.
Hearing about these ceremonies in the news, I decided it was high time I went to one myself and I jumped at the chance when I got an invitation from the mayor of the 19th arrondissement, or district, of Paris where I live. On Jan. 12, dressed in my Sunday best, I headed to the local gymnasium where the ceremony was taking place. The invitation was for 7 p.m. and I thought it best to arrive fashionably late, but as I approached the gym, I saw hundreds in line outside. I had no choice but to join them. Once inside, I joined a crowd of about a thousand waiting impatiently for Roger Madec, the 19th district's mayor since 1995, to wish us all a happy new year.
On a stage framed by two huge bouquets of red roses, the symbol of France's Socialist Party, to which Mayor Madec belongs, the mayor and the city council were already in place, all standing, like us, for the occasion. At floor level, all around me, I could see examples of the racial, ethnic and religious diversity for which the 19th district is known.
There were representatives of the Orthodox Jewish community, wearing their black felt hats, Catholic priests and veiled Muslim women. There were also hundreds of "normal" French citizens, many with roots outside of France, all come together as members of the same community. The gymnasium was crowded, but there was no pushing or shoving (at least not until it was time for champagne). I got the sense that people were happy to be there and proud to be one of the 187,603 residents of the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
But the mayor is asking for silence. He wants to get the ceremony under way and we all turn our faces upwards to hear what are his wishes for 2012. I listen carefully for this is my first "live" ceremony, my first direct contact with "my" mayor.
At the speech's end, I have to admit, I'm impressed. Rather than indulge in "wishful thinking," Roger Madec supplied us with a report on what was accomplished in 2011 and, based on those results, told us what to expect in 2012. The main themes were transportation, housing and cultural life, and in each area the mayor provided concrete examples of change. Better transportation thanks to a new tramway, renovation of housing for the middle class, and the creation of 700 new places in day care, essential in a neighborhood undergoing a baby boom.
Concerning cultural life, near where I live, a new public movie theater showing quality films at a reasonable price, will soon open. The mayor also gave us a rundown of local festivals for the coming year, among them, the "Festival du talent," a French equivalent of "American Idol."
To conclude, he reminded us of our responsibilities, admonishing us to "clean up our act" and litter less in order to make the 19th a cleaner, more pleasant place to live, while thanking the many volunteers in the community who are doing just that.
Finally, he invited us to have a drink, champagne or orange juice, served with tasty appetizers, hot and cold. Quite a spread, considering the crowd.
This local ceremony taking place in my own backyard convinced me that new year's wishes, a good time and politics can go together. And Mayor Madec's speech is proof that at the grass-roots level change is possible. Listening to the presidential candidates on the evening news, and this includes President Sarkozy, I'm less optimistic about their ability to transform wishes into reality.
But until Tuesday, the wishes will continue and the champagne will continue to flow. And by French standards, it's not too late for me to wish readers a happy 2012. Reflecting upon the French habit of prolonging the winter holidays, I've realized Americans do quite the same, which is why I also wish you a happy Super Bowl Sunday, a mere seven days away.
(Honicker can be reached at honicker.republican herald@gmail.com)
