Charles – Si personne n’a la fève cette année... Comme pour le loto.
2
Charles – If nobody gets the bean this year... Just like with the lottery.
Translated by markvanroode 58051 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Discussion

Thanks France, now that you mention it, it rings a bell. I think I had previously looked it up and discovered it to be a bean. However, I think your suggestion of 'lucky charm' is still better for the English reader, because few people would connect bean with la fève. I immediately connected it with the game of lottery and was perplexed, wondering what a bean has to do with the lottery game.

by Merlin57 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Wendy,
Here some information about the "lucky charm" in the Galette des rois.
https://www.lumni.fr/article/la-galette-des-rois-jamais-sans-la-feve

Fève is the name of a kind of haricot (bean). It's a delicious vegetable.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A8ve

by francevw 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Mark, I would tend to agree with France with the use of 'lucky charm'. For me the connection' with the 'lottery is self-explanatory, as it is immediately explained in the next unit. It describes what is in the King cake. (Not a bean, but a lucky charm).
(I don't understand the use of 'bean' ?)

by Merlin57 5 months, 2 weeks ago

I’d keep the connection with the lottery in vow of the next unit. If no one wins, the pot is carried forward to the next round.

by markvanroode 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Mark,
How about the lucky charm ?
ève nf (figurine de porcelaine) charm, lucky charm n
Pour un enfant, le plaisir de la galette des rois est d'avoir la fève.
For a child, the joy of a King cake is getting the lucky charm.

by francevw 5 months, 2 weeks ago