Реферат French Culture. Traditions and Customs
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Report on the theme:
French Culture. Traditions and Customs
The Plan
Customs and Traditions in
Culture of
Social customs in
Traditions and habits
Kissing in
Eating & Drinking in
Vous & Tu
French Wedding Traditions
French Easter Traditions
French Christmas Traditions
The more you learn about French traditions and culture, the more you will want to learn.
It should come as no surprise that in a country so reputed for its gastronomical know-how that many traditions and customs in
New Year's Eve in France
Many people in
History of French Fries
This is one "French" tradition you'll find all over the world. Learn about the controversy over who invented the French fry, as well a bit about Antoine-Augustine Parmentier, the man behind the potato's acceptance in
Mardi Gras in France
The period leading up to Lent is celebrated in
French Yule Log
This is a wonderful French custom going back many, many centuries. The modern day take on the buche de Noлl is usually a sweet cake, and included here is a simple recipe along with the story of this custom.
French Table Setting
If you are invited to a formal French dinner, it is a good idea to know a little on this subject. Although you will find most things where you are probably used to seeing them, there are some differences in how the French set the table from other places in the world. In French Eating Customs you can learn the hours and names of typical French meals.
French Celebrations
Bastille Day is probably the best known of the uniquely French holidays, but it certainly isn't the only chance to celebrate in
french culture france tradition
Customs and Traditions in France
Curious it may sound; the French literally behead champagne bottles at weddings. A specially made saber is used to behead the bottle. This tradition is said to have generated during Napoleonic times when champagne bottles were beheaded to celebrate victory. Holiday season, which kicks off with Christmas, sees many old customs and traditions in
Customs and traditions in
Culture of France
French architecture is actually an offshoot of the Gothic architecture. The architectural style evolved dynamically, with the previous Baroque style being replaced by the Gothic style. Even Gothic style of architecture was later phased out and the avant-garde style took its place. Notable examples of the architecture of
Cuisine of
Though there is no official state religion in France, Christianity is mostly practiced. Music and dance of
Christened the most delectable competition in the world, Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie or World Pastry Cup in
Launch of the Beaujolais Nouveau in
For one night only the numerous museums and attractions of the country participate in Museums by Night in
Armistice Day in
The main
Armistice Day in France - Music Festival in
If you are lucky enough to visit the country during some exciting event like the Fete du Nautisme or Semaine du Gout (Week of the Taste), you are in for a magnificent treat.
Social customs in
Traditions and habits
All countries have peculiar social customs and
When you’re introduced to a French person, you should say ‘good day, Sir/Madam’ (bonjour madame/ monsieur) and shake hands (a single pump is enough - neither limp nor knuckle-crushing). Salut (hi or hello) is used only among close friends and young people. When saying goodbye, it’s a formal custom to shake hands again. In an office, everyone shakes hands with everyone else on arrival at work and when they depart.
It’s also customary to say good day or good evening (bonsoir) on entering a small shop and goodbye (au revoir madame/monsieur) on leaving. Bonjour becomes bonsoir around 18.00 or after dark, although if you choose bonsoir (or bonjour), don’t be surprised if the response isn’t the same. Bonne nuit (good night) is used when going to bed or leaving a house in the evening.
On leaving a shop you may be wished bonne journйe (have a nice day) or variations such as bon aprиs-midi, bonne fin d’aprиs-midi, bon dimanche or bon week-end, to which you may reply vous aussi, vous de mкme or et vous. The standard and automatic reply to merci is je vous en prie (‘you’re welcome’).
Titles should generally be used when addressing or writing to people, particularly when the holder is elderly. The president of a company or institution should be addressed as monsieur (madame) le prйsident (la prйsidente), a courtesy title usually retained in retirement. The mayor must be addressed as Monsieur/Madame le Maire (even female mayors are le Maire!).
Kissing in France
To kiss or not to kiss, that is the question. It’s best to take it slowly when negotiating this social minefield and to take your cue from the French. You shouldn’t kiss (faire la bise) when first introduced to an adult, although young children will expect to be kissed. If a woman expects you to kiss her, she will offer her cheek. (Note that men kiss women and women kiss women but men don’t kiss men, unless they’re relatives or very close friends.) The ‘kiss’ is deposited high up on the cheek; it isn’t usually a proper kiss, more a delicate brushing of the cheeks accompanied by kissing noises, although some extroverts will plant a great wet smacker on each side of your face.
The next question is which cheek to kiss first. Again, take your cue from the natives, as the custom varies from region to region (and even the natives aren’t always sure where to start).
Finally, you must decide how many kisses to give. Two is the standard number, although many people kiss three or four or even six times. It depends partly on where you are in
Kissing usually takes place when you take your leave, as well as when you greet someone. (It’s also customary to kiss everyone in sight - including the men if you’re a man - at midnight on New Year’s Eve!)
Vous & Tu
When talking to a stranger, use the formal form of address (vous). Don’t use the familiar form (tu/toi) or call someone by his Christian name until you’re invited to do so. Generally the older, more important or simply local person will invite the other to use the familiar tu form of address (called tutoiement) and first names; in fact, the switch will suddenly happen and you should pick up on it immediately or you will forever be stuck with the vous form. The familiar form is used with children, animals and God, but almost never with your elders or work superiors.
However, the French are becoming less formal and the under 50s often use tu and first names with work colleagues (unless they’re of the opposite sex, when tu may imply a special intimacy!), and will quickly switch from vous to tu with new social acquaintances, although older people may be reluctant to make the change. Some people always remain vous, such as figures of authority (the local mayor) or those with whom you have a business relationship, e. g. your bank manager, tax officials and policemen.
Gifts in France
If you’re invited to dinner by a French person (which is a sign that you’ve been accepted into the community), take along a small present of flowers, a plant or chocolates. Gifts of foreign food or drink aren’t generally well received unless they’re highly prized in
Some people say you must never take wine, as this implies that your hosts don’t know what wine to buy, although this obviously depends on your hosts and how well you know them. If you do take wine, however, don’t be surprised if your hosts put it to one side for a future occasion; they will already have planned the wine for the meal and know that a wine needs to settle before it can be drunk.
Flowers can be tricky, as to some people carnations mean bad luck, chrysanthemums are for cemeteries (they’re placed on graves on All Saints’ Day), red roses signify love and are associated with the Socialists and yellow roses have something to do with adultery, and marigolds (soucis) simply aren’t de rigueur. If in doubt, ask a florist for advice.
Eating & Drinking in
You shouldn’t serve any drinks (or expect to be served one) before all guests have arrived - even if some are an hour or more late! If you’re offered a drink, wait until your host has toasted everyone’s health (santй) before taking a drink. Never pour your own drinks (except water) when invited to dinner. If you aren’t offered a (nother) drink, it’s time to go home. Always go easy on the wine and other alcohol; if you drink to excess you’re unlikely to be invited back! The French say bon appйtit before starting a meal and you shouldn’t start eating until your hosts do. It’s polite to eat everything that’s put on your plate. Cheese is served before dessert.
Conversation
The French love detailed and often heated discussions, but there are certain topics of conversation that need handling with care. These include money, which is generally avoided by the French; it’s a major faux pas to ask a new acquaintance what he does for a living, as his job title will often give an indication of his salary. Far safer to stick to discussions of food and drink. When conversing, even in the midst of a heated debate, avoid raising your voice, which is considered vulgar. Note also that the French often stand close when engaging in conversation, which you may find uncomfortable or even threatening at first.
Gesticulating
Like the Italians, the French talk with their hands - often more than with their tongues - but the art of gesticulation can be as difficult to master (and as full of pitfalls for the unwary) as the spoken language. Here are a few tips that could help you avoid a faux pas: never point with your index finger, which is considered rude, but use an open hand (which should also be used when ‘thumbing’ a lift); similarly, beckon with your four fingers, palm down; the thumb is used to mean ‘one’ when counting, not the index finger; to indicate boredom, rub your knuckles against your cheek, to show surprise, shake your hand up and down, and to convey disbelief pull down your lower eyelid; tapping your fingers on the opposite forearm while raising the forearm slightly indicates an impending or actual departure - usually as a result of boredom! The classic French shrug is perhaps best left to the natives!
Cards
The sending of cards, other than birthday cards, isn’t as common in
Dress code in
Although the French are often formal in their relationships, their dress habits, even in the office, are often extremely casual. Note, however, that the French tend to judge people by their dress, the style and quality being as important as the correctness for the occasion (people often wear ‘designer’ jeans to dinner). You aren’t usually expected to dress for dinner, depending of course on the sort of circles you move in. On invitations, formal dress (black tie) is smoking exigй/tenue de soirйe and informal dress is tenue de ville.
Phone Calls
Always introduce yourself before asking to speak to someone on the telephone. Surprisingly it’s common to telephone at meal times, e. g.12.00 to 14.00 and around 20.00, when you can usually be assured of finding someone at home. If you call at these times, you should apologise for disturbing the household. It isn’t always advisable to make calls after
Noise
It’s common for there to be noise restrictions in French towns and villages, particularly with regard to the use of lawnmowers and other mechanical tools. Restrictions are imposed locally and therefore vary, but in general, noisy activities are prohibited before around 08.00 or 09.00 every day, after 19.00 on weekdays and Saturdays and after 12.00 on Sundays, and additionally at lunchtime on Saturdays.
French Wedding Traditions
French Traditions and Traditions Before the Marriage Ceremony
The traditional bridal trousseau, or hope chest, originated in
The popularity of a bride wearing a white wedding gown on her day of matrimony, began in
Still practiced in small villages today, is a traditional French custom, for the groom to call on his future bride at her home on the morning of their wedding day. As he escorts her to the wedding chappel, the town's children stretch white ribbons across the road, which the bride cuts. The groom usually walks his mother down the aisle just prior to the main wedding procession.
As the newlywed couple departs from the wedding site, laurel leaves are scattered in their path for them to walk over.
French Wedding Reception
A wedding toast is made to the newlyweds sometime during the traditional French wedding reception. Following this toast, they drink, as husband and wife, from a specially engraved, double handled goblet, usually a precious family heirloom passed down from generation to generation.
After the wedding reception, and even later into the couple's wedding night, friends of the newlyweds might show up outside their window banging pots and pans, singing boisterous tunes. The groom is expected to invite them in for drinks and snacks.
Save the ribbons and bows that grace the gifts you receive at your bridal shower to create an artistic bouquet that you carry during the wedding rehearsal. Remember that each ribbon that breaks as you open the packages is said to represent the birth of a child.
Plant a seedling on the morning of or the day before your wedding to grow along with your marriage. If roses are one of your favorite blooms, you might choose the plant that is always associated with love.
Future wealth and good fortune for newlyweds is said to be inspired by slipping a lucky sixpence into one of the shoes you wear for your wedding. The sixpence first became known as a lucky coin when introduced by Edward VI of
Brides are encouraged to include "something blue" among their wedding finery to bolster the favorite old line, "Those who dress in blue have lovers true." Blue has long been considered the color of fidelity, purity and love, and was first worn in ribbons by early Jewish brides.
Carry a handkerchief passed down through generations of your family to begin your own tradition with a lacy square that you select. A bride who cries on her wedding day is never supposed to shed another tear about her marriage.
The custom of a bride being given away originated with the sale of the bride by the father to the prospective groom. Today, the tradition is considered a sign of the father entrusting his beloved daughter to the care of her husband-to-be.
The ceremonial kiss that closes the marriage ceremony is considered symbolic of an exchange of spirit as each new spouse breathes a part of the soul into the other.
The celebration of marriage is heightened by the offering of toasts to the bride and groom. Ancient French custom encouraged the newlyweds to drink the reception toast from a special cup that was typically passed among family generations. Today, couples are given special toasting goblets for their reception.
French Tradition The traditional bridal trousseau, or hope chest, originated in
Still practiced in small villages today, is a traditional French custom, for the groom to call on his future bride at her home on the morning of their wedding day. As he escorts her to the wedding chapel, the town's children stretch white ribbons across the road, which the bride cuts. The groom usually walks his mother down the aisle just prior to the main wedding procession. As the newlywed couple departs from the wedding site, laurel leaves are scattered in their path for them to walk over.
A wedding toast is made to the newlyweds sometime during the traditional French wedding reception. Following this toast, they drink, as husband and wife, from a specially engraved, double handled goblet, usually a precious family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. After the wedding reception, and even later into the couple's wedding night, friends of the newlyweds might show up outside their window banging pots and pans, singing boisterous tunes. The groom is expected to invite them in for drinks and snacks.
The great thing about
Good Friday - the Friday before Easter - is not a public holiday in
Easter week is not necessarily a school holiday week; French spring school holidays do not necessarily include the Easter week or Easter weekend, it depends on the region and on when Easter falls. Easter Monday being a public holiday, many shops and public monuments such as Museums will be closed; but the Louvre is open on Easter Monday, as on Easter Sunday - though beware of the crowds on these days. Check here for other Paris tourist attractions.
As throughout Europe, Easter in
Local bakers, patissiers and chocolatiers pride themselves on making good-quality Easter chocolates, often individually decorated and presented with loving care. Eggs, bunnies and other chocolate animals come either "garnis" or "non-garnis", meaning filled or unfilled. Filled versions usually contain small chocolates, or small sugary eggs - and often a mixture of the two.
"Friture", that other Easter tradition, are little chocolate fish - which historically have more to do with April Fool's Day than Easter (An April Fool joke in
Easter is traditionally a family celebration in
French Easter (Pвques) Traditions
Easter is celebrated in
The predominant religion in
Easter morning is a happy time for children who wake to look for colorfully decorated Easter eggs (les oeufs de Pвques) hidden in their gardens, homes and playgrounds. Parents tell their children the eggs were brought from
Unlike Americans, the French allot an extra vacation day for the Easter holiday. Everyone gets an automatic three-day weekend which they usually use to spend time with family. Schools and universities tend to center the second spring vacation (two weeks for each of them) around Pвques as well. Easter also marks the start of the "high" season for tourists, and hotel prices rise accordingly. A series of holidays (starting with the three-day Easter weekend) continues into May, with a trio of three-day weekends that month. Oui!
French Confiseries and Chocolatiers
As always, the French take great pride and joy in their food, and no village is without at least one or more confiseries (candy shops). Easter is the perfect time of year for master chocolatiers to display and celebrate their delectable wares. Great attention to detail and years of practice result in chocolate eggs that look more like works of art than anything edible! They are truly beautiful, and many people enjoy strolling the avenues peering into the shop windows as if they are at a museum or art show.
Poisson D'Avril (French Easter Fish)
Everyone knows of chocolate rabbits in
Cloche Volant (Chocolate Flying Bells)
As mentioned above, bells play an important role in the French Easter tradition. Candy shops sell chocolate flying bells alongside Easter eggs and bunnies, in the same way many candy shops in
Easter Games
Raw eggs are rolled down a gentle slope. The surviving egg is declared a victory egg, and symbolizes the stone being rolled away from Jesus' tomb.
Children might play a game of tossing raw eggs in the air. The first child to drop and break his egg is the loser, and in some versions, must pay a penalty (e. g. give up a piece of his Easter candy to his brothers or sisters). This is similar to the 'egg and spoon' game we play in
Do you know of any French Easter traditions not listed here? If so, please leave a comment and tell us about them.
In
Christmas in France
The celebration of Christmas in
*Epiphany (la fкte des Rois) is usually celebrated the 6th of January, but in some places in
French Christmas Traditions
.
French children put their shoes in front of the fireplace, in the hopes that Pиre Noлl (aka Papa Noлl) will fill them with gifts. Candy, fruit, nuts, and small toys will also be hung on the tree overnight. In some regions there's also Pиre Fouettard who gives out spankings to bad children (sort of the equivalent of Santa Claus giving coal to the naughty).
In
Le Rйveillon Although fewer and fewer French attend la Messe de Minuit on Christmas Eve, it is still an important part of Christmas for many families. It is followed by a huge feast, called le Rйveillon (from the verb rйveiller, to wake up or revive). Le Rйveillon is a symbolic awakening to the meaning of Christ's birth and is the culinary
Throughout the French Christmas season, there are special traditional desserts:
La bыche de Noлl (Yule log) - A log-shaped cake made of chocolate and chestnuts. Representative of the special wood log burned from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day in the Pйrigord, which is a holdover from a pagan
Le pain calendeau (in southern
La Galette des Rois (on Epiphany) - round cake which is cut into pieces and distributed by a child, known as le petit roi or l'enfant soleil, hiding under the table. Whoever finds la fиve - the charm hidden inside - is King or Queen and can choose a partner.
French Christmas Decorations The sapin de Noлl is the main decoration in homes, streets, shops, offices, and factories. The sapin de Noлl appeared in
Another important aspect of French Christmas celebrations is the crиche filled with santons, which is displayed in churches and many homes. Living crиches in the form of plays and puppet shows based on the Nativity are commonly performed to teach the important ideas of Christianity and the Christmas celebration.
Mistletoe is hung above the door during the Christmas season to bring good fortune throughout the year.
After Rйveillon, it's customary to leave a candle burning in case the Virgin Mary passes by.
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