French Culture: Customs and Traditions
France, officially the French Republic, France or French Republic, a country in northwestern Europe.
Historically and culturally among the most important nations in the Western world. France has also played a very important role in international affairs, with former colonies in every corner of the globe.
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Bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Alps and the Pyrenees, France has long been a geographical, economic and linguistic bridge linking northern and southern Europe.
It is the most important agricultural producer in Europe and one of the main industrial powers in the world.
France is one of the oldest nations in the world, the product of an alliance of duchies and principalities under a single ruler in the Middle Ages.
Today, as at that time, the central authority rests with the State, despite the fact that in recent decades some autonomy has been granted to the country’s regions.
The French people regard the state as the main guardian of liberty, and the state in turn offers a generous program of services for its citizens, from free education to health care and pension plans.
Most people associate French culture with Paris, which is a center of fashion, cuisine, art, and architecture. But life outside of the City of Lights is very different and varies by region.
France not only has culture; The word «culture» comes from France. Culture» derives from the same French term, which in turn derives from the Latin colere, which means to care for the earth and to cultivate, cultivate and nurture,» Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College London, told Live Science.
Historically, French culture was influenced by Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures, as well as the Franks, a Germanic tribe.
France was initially defined as the western area of Germany known as the Rhineland, but later came to refer to a territory that was known as Gaul during the Iron Age and Roman times.
GEOGRAPHY
The largest country in Western Europe, France has long been a gateway between the northern and southern regions of the continent.
Its long borders touch Germany and Belgium in the north; the Atlantic Ocean in the west; the Pyrenees and Spain in the south.
It also borders the Mediterranean Sea in the southeast; and the Alps, Switzerland and Italy in the east. France has a very diverse landscape.
There are beaches on the southeast coast, home to the French Riviera, and towering mountains to the south and east. Including Europe’s highest peak, Mont Blanc, which rises to 4,810 meters (15,781 feet) within the French Alps.
Wide fertile plains dominate most of the north and west, making France the agricultural epicenter of Europe.
The vast, forested plateau of the Massif Central, a range of ancient mountains and extinct volcanoes, occupies the interior of southern France.
Languages
French is the official language and the first language of 88 percent of the population, according to the BBC. It is the dominant language of the country’s 70 million people, but there are a number of variants based on region.
French is the second most learned foreign language in the world, with almost 120 million students, according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development.
About 3 percent of the population speak German dialects, and there is a small group of Flemish in the northeast, according to the BBC. Arabic is the third largest minority language.
Those who live near the Italian border can speak Italian as a second language, and Basque is spoken by people who live along the French-Spanish border.
Other dialects and languages include Catalan, Breton (the Celtic language), Occitan dialects, and the languages of the former French colonies, such as Kabyle and Antillean Creole.
Religion
Catholicism is the predominant religion in France. In a poll by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP), 64 percent of the population (about 41.6 million people) identified as Roman Catholic.
The other religions in France include Islam, Buddhism and Judaism. According to the CIA, between 23 and 28 percent of people in France do not adhere to a religion.
Values
The French are immensely proud of their nation and their government and are offended by any negative comments about their country.
Visitors, particularly Americans, often interpret her attitude towards foreigners as rude.
«Since around the 16th century, in Europe, culture became a term for the cultivation of the mind, intellect, knowledge, learning, creative faculties and acceptable ways of behaving,» De Rossi said.
The French embrace style and sophistication and pride themselves on the fact that even their public spaces have a regal tone.
The French believe in equality, which means equality, and is part of the country’s motto: «Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.» Many say that they give more importance to equality than to liberty and fraternity, the other two words of the motto.
Reflecting the secular nature of the country, it is not uncommon for children to be born to unmarried couples.
In addition to the traditional marriage, French couples also have the option of obtaining a civil pact of solidarity (PACS).
This is a union that has many of the same benefits of marriage, such as tax breaks, but can be dissolved with notice or by marrying someone else or in lieu of divorce.
Two-thirds of married French couples are in a PACS, according to The Economist.
NATURE
France has a vast area of land to provide habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals. More than 25 percent of its territory is covered in forests, and another 50 percent is field or farmland.
The lowland forests are home to deer and wild boar, while the forests of the Alps and Pyrenees offer refuge to the rare chamois antelopes, ibex, brown bears and alpine hares, among many other species.
The Mediterranean coast is a stopover for millions of migratory African birds, including flamingos, vultures, herons and bee-eaters.
The French government has made extensive commitments to preserving open spaces and the wildlife they contain. About 10 percent of the country has been set aside for national or regional parks and nature reserves.
French gastronomy
Food and wine are central to life at all socioeconomic levels, and much socialization occurs around long dinners.
While cooking styles have shifted to emphasize light food, many still associate French cooking with heavy sauces and complicated preparation.
Some classic French dishes include boeuf bourguignon – a stew made of beef cooked in red wine, beef broth, and seasoned with garlic, onions, and mushrooms – and coq au vin, a dish made with chicken, Burgundy wine, lardones (small strips or cubes of pork fat), mushrooms, onions and optional garlic.
The fries, oddly enough, may not be French. According to National Geographic, they may be from Spain or Belgium.
The reason Americans call potato chips French fries is because Thomas Jefferson discovered the treat while in France while serving there as an American minister from 1784 to 1789. He brought the idea back to the United States.
Clothes
Paris is known as the home of many high-end fashion houses, including Dior, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel.
Many French people dress in a sophisticated, professional and fashionable style, but it is not too demanding. The typical costumes include pretty dresses, suits, long coats, scarves and berets.
The term haute couture is associated with French fashion and broadly means more elegant garments that are made by hand or to order.
In France, the term is protected by law and is defined by the Paris Chamber of Commerce, according to Eva Domjian, a London-based fashion writer and editor. Domjian writes on her blog:
«To earn the right to call itself a couture house and to use the term haute couture in its advertising and otherwise, a fashion house must follow these rules:
Custom design for private clients, with one or more fittings.
Have a workshop in Paris that employs at least 15 people full time.
Every season (that is, twice a year) he presents to the Parisian press a collection comprising at least 35 races/outings in both day and night outfits.»
french art.
Art is everywhere in France – particularly in Paris and other major cities – and Gothic, Romanesque, Rococo and Neoclassical influences can be seen in many churches and other public buildings.
Many of history’s most famous artists, such as Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Camille Pissarro, drew inspiration from Paris and gave birth to the Impressionist movement.
The Louvre Museum in Paris is one of the largest museums in the world and is home to many famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo.
Parties and celebrations
The French celebrate the traditional Christian holidays of Christmas and Easter. They mark May Day, also known as Labor Day, on May 1.
Victory in Europe Day on May 8 commemorates the end of hostilities in Europe in World War II.
Bastille Day is celebrated on July 14. This is the day that the Bastille fortress in Paris was stormed by revolutionaries to start the French Revolution.
Given France’s central role in world culture, haute couture, and gastronomy, its geographical features sometimes play second fiddle. But few countries can boast the natural characteristics of this popular tourist destination.
French schoolchildren are taught to think of France as a hexagon, with impressive natural elements forming borders on each side. Each of these six geographic landmarks offers tremendous opportunities for recreation, as well as a healthy portion of wonder.
Alps mountains
The Alps are one of the great mountain ranges of Europe. The French Alps stretch from the Mediterranean Sea to the Rhine River, offering breathtaking scenery, world-class mountaineering, and some of the best skiing in Europe.
According to Frommer’s. Chamonix-Mont Blanc, Megève, Val d’Isère – the names of the resorts shine like jewels in the minds of skiers around the world. The famous peak of Mont Blanc scrapes the sky at 15,570 feet, the highest mountain in Western Europe and the heart of alpine skiing.
Mediterranean Sea
France’s southeastern border is the Mediterranean Sea, a name derived from the Latin Medius Terrae, meaning the sea in the middle of the earth.
Although tourism has greatly marred the legendary golden beaches of the Côte d’Azur, the Mediterranean, situated at the crossroads of Europe,…