réveillon

Christmas Eve (or New Year's Eve) celebration

noun ray-vay-YON Rare

Usage Note

Réveillon specifically refers to the festive late-night meal and celebration on Christmas Eve (réveillon de Noël) or New Year's Eve (réveillon du Jour de l'An). The verb réveillonner means 'to celebrate with a réveillon'. The word comes from réveiller ('to wake up'), as the feast traditionally kept people up past midnight.

Examples

"Nous avons passé le réveillon en famille cette année."

Natural Translation

We spent the Christmas Eve celebration with family this year.

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