In France and some other French-speaking countries, a réveillon is a long dinner, and possibly a party, held on the evenings preceding Christmas and New Year's Day. The name of this dinner is based on réveil, i.e., the fact of awaking, because it involves staying up until midnight.
Food
The food consumed in réveillons has generally an exceptional or luxury character. For instance, appetizers may include lobster, oysters, escargots or foie gras, etc. The main dish may consist of game (boar, deer...) or another unusual dish. A traditional dish is turkey with chestnuts.
Dessert may consist in a bűche de Noël (Christmas log), a cake shaped in the form of a log of wood, often flavored with chocolate, coffee or chestnut. In Provence, the tradition of the 13 desserts is followed: 13 desserts are to be served, some of which are generally always represented: pompe ŕ l'huile (a flavored bread), dates, etc.
Quality wine is usually consumed over such dinners, with often Champagne or similar sparkling wines as a conclusion.
Differences
The réveillons Christmas and New Year's Day traditionally have a different character.
On the one hand, Christmas is traditionally a Christian celebration held in family, and the familial character is retained even among non-believers.
On the other hand, the Saint Sylvester (December 31) réveillon is commonly a party with friends, etc. People may also go to a cabaret, or watch retransmissions of cabaret spectacles on television.
