Bonne Année & Happy New Year to all.

Best wishes to everyone & an excellent 2010 - Tous nos meilleurs voeux pour 2010

So aside from providing you with a French / English Translation for Season’s Greetings, there are a few other cool things I’d like to share about New Year’s in Paris …

La bonne humeur de Bonne Année

Today was one of the most interesting days of the year in Paris. The first day back to work after the New Year’s break. (This year was a little cooler than mosts being that New Year’s Day - a fairy day* (jour férié) - was on a Friday, hence the whole of Paris had a 3 day weekend, if not longer.

* fairy day n.m

federal holiday which could be secular, religious, international etc. (often a non working paid day). (Michèlisme & fun Frenglish word)

jour férié n.m

“jour de fête civile, réligieux, ou commémorant un événement” (souvent dit un jour chomé)

So everyone in Paris was slowly (more or less) getting back to their routine, but before doing so, they wished everyone they knew a Bonne Année.

La bise de Bonne Année

One the most unexpected and fantastical greetings was the bonne année from my boss. Out of nowhere this moring he stands up and approaches me, normally he just looks up and says, “Bonjour Michèle”. What was going on, the distance was shrinking, then all of a sudden … the bise. Oh, I thought the bise de bonne année - since this was evidentally an exceptional occasion, (as I don’t bise my boss [usually]).

I was the only one who received exceptional bises. One of my collegues also had a warmer than usual greetings as well - the bise de bonne année.

bise de bonne année n.f

bise exceptionnel que l’on ne reçoit pas habituellement, et qui a lieu le premier fois que les deux personnes engagés se voient après le nouvel an. (Michèlisme & néologisme)