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Culture and Tradition in France

From snowy glacial peaks to sunny shores, France is a country blessed with a diverse geology and a long and tumultuous history. These specificities have given rise to a protean architecture and left a legacy of great national traditions as well as numerous regional customs.

Culture and Tradition in France - France

The Roots of French Traditions

Clovis I, King of the Franks, was the leader of the first dynasty of French kings. Today, France retains some traditions that date back to the Renaissance or even the knights of the Middle Ages. As one of the oldest nations in the world, the French have a deep respect for language, customs, traditions and etiquette. The French are also very proud of their exceptional patrimony from the world of arts, literature, gastronomy and fashion.

Culture and Tradition in France - France

Traditional French Festivals and Celebrations

The most significant holidays are marked by celebrations in the countryside, villages and towns up and down the country, which celebrates eleven official public holidays.


French National and Religious holidays

The two biggest holidays, Easter and Christmas, are grounded in Christian religious traditions, with about 88% of France's 65 million inhabitants identifying themselves as Roman Catholic.
The Fête Nationale, celebrated on 14 July, is the day of independence. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 which triggered the French Revolution. The day includes parades and stirring renditions of La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, before culminating in a spectacular fireworks display.


Five other Key Dates in the French Calendar:

Labour Day on 1 May
World War II Victory Day on 8 May
Ascension Day, held 40 days after Easter, usually on a Thursday in May
All Saints' Day (La Toussaint) on 1 November, when graves are decorated with wreaths or potted chrysanthemums
Armistice Day on 11 November

Culture and Tradition in France - France

Market Days in France

A sunny village market day remains a quintessential part of traditional French life, even today. For locals, it is a shopping trip combined with a social outing; for visitors, it is a feast for the senses. In addition to regional culinary specialities, these markets are also a jumble of brightly lit stalls of textiles, hardware, antiques, handmade lavender soap and other artisanal specialities.

They usually end in the late morning/midday, when onlookers head home for lunch. Each district of Paris has its own market, with different days and times. There are an estimated 10,000 traditional French markets across France.

Tradition of Food and Wine

French cuisine is considered to be at the top of the list of the world's most famous cuisines. In 2010, French gastronomy was recognised by UNESCO as "intangible cultural heritage". France is the second largest producer of wine after Italy and French wines rank among the most famous and prized grape varieties and estate labels in the world.
 

French Savoir-Faire

At the end of the 19th century, restaurateur, chef and food critic Auguste L'Escoffier was the first to codify haute cuisine, with the invention of the kitchen brigade, combined with a highly skilled workforce.

The Culinary Guide is L'Escoffier's reference book and is still used by great chefs around the world.
The Michelin Guide is a world-renowned guide that selects the best restaurants and hotels in 28 countries.
 

French Bread and Cheese with Wine

What could be more French than the sight of people queuing outside the local village bakery, waiting for freshly baked baguettes to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are even regulations on the ingredients and method of making the traditional baguette, which is estimated to be consumed ten billion times a year!

The baguette is served with cheese and a glass of red or white wine. The most classic French wine and cheese pairings are regionally inspired.

Culture and Tradition in France - France

A History of Art and Heritage

France has long been prominent in the world of visual, cinematographic and performing arts. Famous artists in painting, music, dance and film have been considered ahead of their time, exploring avant-garde themes, movements and techniques in their creative process.

Tradition of Fine Art in France

The Louvre in Paris is the most visited museum in the world, with over nine million people passing through its doors each year.
Some of the world's most valuable and cherished French Impressionist paintings are on display at the nearby Musée d'Orsay.
Popular works by well-known French artists such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet and Paul Cézanne are on display in the collections of fine art museums around the world, where these Impressionists represent a movement away from the formality of the classical traditions of the Grand Masters.

French Cinematic Tradition

The Lumière brothers are said to have been the first to create moving images at the dawn of the 20th century. Their first experiments recorded everyday events, such as trains arriving at stations. This began a long tradition of film production in France. After the Second World War, La Nouvelle Vague launched a cinematic tradition carried on by a group of young filmmakers, including François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard.

French Literary Tradition

For centuries, French has been the language of intellectuals in the arts, letters and diplomacy. Since the 17th century, the purity of the written language has been closely protected by 40 esteemed members of the Académie Française.

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