French Traditions

As the summer solstice arrives, Parisians eagerly prepare to embrace the enchanting spirit of Fête de la Musique. Celebrated annually on June 21st, this musical… Read More

Paris may not go all out for the infamous Irish holiday like Dublin or New York… Read More

Despite its religious roots, Mardi Gras is a holiday for all: if you love pancakes and dressing up, this one’s for you! However, not sure… Read More

Valentine's Day has become a commercial celebration spread across Western Europe but do the French do it differently?… Read More

The French tradition La Chandeleur (Candlemas) takes place on the 2nd February. Actually it is considered the last cycle of the Christmas celebration. So in… Read More

Have you ever wondered what's typically French? (and weird) Read all about the 10 things the French do that foreigners don’t understand. Read More

Find out about the best places to celebrate Halloween in Paris, a spooky visit to the Catacombs, we got it all covered!… Read More

For the anglophones amongst all our readers, you might have seen a big hullabaloo about “la rentrée” in the last few weeks around France. ‘La… Read More

The first ever Tour de France took place on the 1st July 1903. Organised and orchestrated by one man alone, this was to become one… Read More

1st May in France, commonly known as May Day, is a public holiday associated with the lily of the valley flower, which dates back to… Read More

Pâques or Easter in English is a religious festival and is one of the most important holidays in France, it has now become a traditional… Read More

The French greeting is almost always complemented with ‘la bise’. Integral to French society, system and values you must know the rules and regulations to… Read More

The étymologie of "le gui" has la classe of the latin roots of the word for the plant, but "mistletoe" in English is a word… Read More

In France, they celebrate Le Réveillon de Noël on the 24th December with family or close acquaintances in the form of a large meal before… Read More

November 11, 1918 - At 5 a.m., in Marshal Foch's railway car in the Forest of Compiegne, the Armistice between the Allied and Central Powers… Read More

What happens for Halloween in France? Has this extravagant tradition failed to find its place in France?… Read More

French children are heading back to school and La Rentrée has begun, but how exactly does the French school system work? If you’re wondering what… Read More

French tradition – DUNKIRK CARNIVAL Dunkirk is a small commune in the northernmost tip of France and is very close to the Belgian border. Deriving… Read More

La Saint-Sylvestre is an alternate name for New Year's Eve in France. It is because the 31st December is the feast day of Saint-Sylvestre in… Read More

La Toussaint takes place every year on the 1st of November and is an important holiday of remembrance for French people and their families. Read More

The tradition of Grand Raid: a treacherous race over a beautiful island. Would you be up to the challenge?… Read More

Every year, the citizens of Bayonne (and any tourists that come to visit) all don red and white and enjoy a five day-long festival. There's… Read More

The ‘Festival des Jardins’ is a horticultural festival that takes place in Chaumont-sur-Loire. The festival has been held every summer since 1992. Read More

The Festival d'Avignon, or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July. Read More

The Fête de la Saint-Jean is an annual celebration that always falls on 24 June. The celebration commemorates the birth of John the Baptist and… Read More

In Martinique, Easter is very different to the traditional European holiday. Be prepared to eat curry and watch crab racing!… Read More

The theme of this year’s Fête du Citron is Bollywood, so if you take a trip to the town of Menton, you might see colourful… Read More

You have probably heard of Rio Carnival in Brazil, and Notting Hill Carnival in London, but what you may not know is that every year,… Read More

The Galette des rois (‘king cake’) is a dessert that is traditionally served in French households on 6th January, or Epiphany. It is a central… Read More

Americans call him Santa Claus, the British call him Father Christmas, in Italy he takes the form of a benevolent witch who delivers presents to… Read More

In France, on the 25th November, unmarried women, referred to as ‘catherinettes’, would often be given strange hats and headdresses to wear for the whole… Read More

Autumn marks the begining of an age-old French tradition. Les vendanges, the wine harvest, is a time of physically demanding work but has also given… Read More

For more than 30 years, the third weekend of September has been dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of Europe's rich and diverse cultural heritage. Read More

The month of September is undoubtedly synonymous with la rentrée, especially for all those working with Babylangues, but for the whole of France too. Read More

The month of August in France sees various towns, big and small, across the entirety of the country transformed into sites of festivities and summer… Read More

Roland Garros, otherwise known as the French Open has undoubtedly become part of French heritage, and is a fantastic event to follow in June in… Read More

The French Election - With this years French election coming up in May, we thought it only fitting to explain just quite how it works. Read More

Each year on 20th March the Journée internationale de la Francophonie is celebrated across France. Read More

Les Voeux et Les Etrennes is the French tradition of giving presents on New Year's Day. Originating in the Roman period it has prevailed until… Read More

Each region has its own Christmas traditions, but none in France is as rich in colourful traditions as that of Provence in December. Read More

Many Babylangues Instructors remember putting together a shoebox for Christmas when they were younger so we invite them to share this thoughtful and giving Anglo-Saxon… Read More

Every year on the third Thursday of the month France celebrates the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau. Read More

In 2009, the French voted that the garden was the second most important room in the house. Read More

The 14th of July ('le quatorze juillet') in France is the French National Day… Read More

To acknowledge the summer solstice on 21st June, the Fête de la Musique is an event aimed at all ages and tastes, the chance to… Read More

The 8th May is a bank holiday in France to celebrate Victory Day, which marks the formal acceptance by the Allies of Nazi Germany‘s surrender… Read More

The origins of what we now know as April Fools’ Day (Poisson d'Avril in France) is believed to trace back to the sixteenth century in… Read More

French tradition - Fête des Grand-mères - Celebrated on the first Sunday of March. Read More

La Chandeleur, known as Candlemas in English, is a festival that designates the midpoint of winter, halfway between the shortest day and the spring equinox. Read More

The galette des Rois is one of France’s favourite desserts. Read More

FRENCH TRADITION: With All Saints’ and Remembrance Day, November in France marks the month of memory. Read More

“Vendanges” is the term used in France to denote the grape-picking season, with harvests in many regions later used for wine production. Read More

The rentrée littéraire is a practice adopted by French publishers, characterised by a large number of new book releases (all styles and genres mixed together)… Read More