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The galette des rois
In early January, France eats the galette des rois, the kings' cake, to mark Epiphany, the Christian feast of the Magi, on January 6. Many households and offices share one on the first Sunday of January or at any point in the month, and bakeries sell them for several weeks. In most of France it is a disc of puff pastry filled with frangipane, almond cream; in the south, a brioche crown with candied fruit is common. A small charm, the fève, is hidden inside, originally a dried bean and now usually a porcelain or plastic figurine, often collected. Tradition says that the youngest person present goes under the table and names who receives each slice, so the cutter cannot cheat. Whoever finds the fève is king or queen for the day, wears the paper crown sold with the cake, and may choose a partner; in many families and offices, the new king or queen also brings the next galette. The custom is religious in origin but now broadly secular, and it is shared across the country by believers and non-believers alike, which is why it sits comfortably in a republic that abolished its monarchy long ago. It is also a classic moment of office life: a galette in the break room in January is one of the small rituals through which colleagues, and newcomers, become part of a team. New Year's wishes, meanwhile, are exchanged in person until about the end of January, and the standard formula, bonne année, bonne santé, is said so often that it is sometimes said as a single word.