Literal Translation
To hang the… crémaillière. Rack, apparently.
Actual Meaning
To have a housewarming
Etymology
According to the Trésor de la langue française (Treasury of the French Language), the word ‘crémaillère’ first appeared in the 13th century in the form ‘carmeilliere’. Probably derived from the Late Latin ‘cramaculus’, itself derived from the Greek “kremastêr”, meaning ‘that which hangs’, the term originally referred to a rod with notches, curved at the bottom, which was hung in a fireplace to hang a pot or cauldron. As we read in Littré, the word could also derive from the Latin verb ‘cremare’ (‘to burn’). This is because the rack is exposed to fire. In Bertrand du Guesclin’s Chronicle, a 14th-century verse poem, the troubadour Cuvelier refers to a ‘jacket as black as a rack’.
How did this kitchen accessory become part of a common expression, sometimes used in elision (‘The housewarming party was very cheerful,’ we read in Zola’s L’Assommoir, in 1877)? In the Middle Ages, when people moved into a new home, the first meal eaten there was often a festive occasion. The idea was to use a feast to let those around you know that you had finished settling in and were there to stay. To do this, placing the pot over the fire had symbolic value. You would literally ‘hang the crémaillère’. This is how the expression came to describe the act of celebrating your move with a small reception.
Since then, whether there is a fireplace or not, the tradition, like the expression, has continued. It is considered good luck to invite those you care about to your brand new home to thank them for helping with the move, or simply to share this new chapter in your life with them. It should be noted, however, that the expression has spread beyond the front door. In Charles Demailly (1860), Edmond and Jules de Goncourt write: ‘On pend la crémaillère d’un petit journal d’annonces.’