The Traditions of France

As we all know by now that wine is a very important part of France, therefore it would be natural to have traditions accustomed to it. This tradition is none other than beheading champagne bottles. It is very commonly seen in weddings where the heads of champagne bottles are neatly sliced off with a custom-made saber. This tradition orgininated during the Napoleon times when the Hussards celebrated their victories of wars by swinging their saber to slice off the top of the champagne bottle. The video below might give you a bettter comprehension of how it is done.

Next, France is actually a country with a very strong Christian community, with about 90% of the people being Roman-Catholics. Hence there are 2 very important occasions for them, namely Christmas and Easter.

During these festive periods, it is very common sight to be able to see puppet shows on Christmas Eve. And during midnight, the people would attend church for a traditional Christmas service. After which, they would have a post Christmas Eve dinner, le Réveillon. This dinner is basically to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Also, the typical dishes for the dinner would be turkey, goose, chicken and a white pudding. In addition, the children would eagerly wait for Santa Claus and place their shoes near the fireplace, feeling excited and hopeful that it will contain a gift by morning. Furthermore, they also believe that children who misbehaved will receive a swatting from Santa. Another thing unique is that their traditional Christmas trees are decorated with candies and nuts, unlike the Singaporean style of christmas lights, bells and other decos.

Now on to the next festive occasion, Easter, also known as Pâques in France. In line with their tradition, no church bells are rung on the Thursday before Good Friday and it will continue to stay silent over a few more days, until Easter Sunday. When the bells begin chiming again, it is custom for people to kiss and hug one another. When it comes to Easter morning, children would be exhilerated when they wake up as they would go in search for Easter eggs hidden in their homes, gardens or playgrounds. Also, unlike most of the world, the French has an additional vacation day for the Easter holiday where people would take this time to get together with their families.

Next up, although not directly related to Easter, is the French Easter Fish,  Poisson d'Avril. This tradition is celebrated throughout the entire Easter season. It is a event similar to what we call April Fools Day. However, the French differs in a sense that children would take a paper fish and stick it onto the back of as many adults as they can. After which, they would scramble off and start shouting at the top of their lungs, ' Poisson d'Avril!' This tradition has been said to be around for more than several centuries already. People believe that this originated from a prank, whereby a clueless person would be asked to go to the market to purchase a freshwater fish when it wasn't in season.

Another interesting tradition is that almost every employee in France are given 5 weeks of holidays a year, unlike Singapore which only has 12-14 days on average. In addition, August is the traditional holiday month for France, but in Singapore it would be on the month of June. Moreover, during that period French locals would vacant the city to go overseas on a holiday or simply go camping in the countryside.

Moving on to the traditional meeting ettiquete of France, handshakes would be the most common form of greeting. However, friends may greet one another with a light kiss on the cheeks, once on each side of the cheeks. First names are only to be addressed by close friends and family, or otherwise you have to wait till you are given permission before doing so. It is also common courtesy to say 'bonjour' (good morning) and 'bonsoir ' (good evening) with a title of Monsier or Madame.

A Simple Greeting in France