A bit of stereotypes, a bit of French culture

Hello! Today we will talk about Candlemas, in French it's La Chandeleur. Originally Candlemas is a Christian feast, celebrating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple, but also a feast of gluttony, Candlemas takes place every year on February 2, 40 days after the Christmas festivities. The Candlemas, or candlelight festival, has also a Latin and pagan origin. Today, Candlemas is known as pancake day - a day dedicated to eating crêpes. The tradition comes from Pope Gelasius I, who distributed crêpes to pilgrims arriving in Rome. On this occasion, the French take out their special flat pans (la poêle à crêpes) or a magical contraption called la crêpière (see photos), and start baking pancakes (les crêpes). la crêpière la poêle à crêpes There is still today a whole tradition linked to the making of crêpes: A custom of Candlemas consists of   flipping the  crêpes  in the air with the right hand while holding a gold coin  or some other coin...

Hello! Today it's time for the presentation of two another stereotypes about French. France is the capital of perfumes, and this is where most of them are created, and yet the French are said to have a problem with hygiene and, as a result, smell bad. This stereotype dates back to the distant past, because until the time of Louis XIV when there was a problem of hygiene in Versailles. Since then, this cliché has been adopted to speak of the French in an unflattering way. A BVA poll from 2015 claims that only 57% of French people take a shower every day. This survey shows that after all, not all French people experience a sense of cleanliness every day. The French are lazy and are on strike all the time. This stereotype ties in with the stereotype of being grumpy. The remark on laziness comes from the observation that the French have fewer working hours per week and are a country that is very often on strike. However, these facts do not mean that employees in this country are less p...

Hi! Another stereotype well known to all is that the French are gourmets. According to the Poles, they eat a lot of frogs. Yes, this treat is present in France and the French can't resist it, but it's not that they eat frogs at every meal. In fact, these amphibians are under protection, so only some French eat them and frogs are on the menu of the best restaurants. In addition,   the English, however little known for their cuisine, had  the idea of cooking it well before the French. So,  they are not the French who started this custom, moreover they are not the only ones on Earth who eat frogs, or rather their thighs . Likewise with snails, baguettes, cheeses and wine. It's not that every French person constantly eats snails. Some eat it and others don't. They are also well recognized for their wines and cheeses having a bad smell. However, France is not the country that consumes the most wine. The French are seen by the Poles as a sensitive person who can shed a tea...

Hello! Today we will speak about one staereotype abot Poles and then we will pas to the stereotypes about French. Let's go! Poland is associated with beautiful women, not only this belief is present in France but also in other countries. Polish women are considered charming women. Polish women have Slavic beauty in their genes, which is specific and attractive to many other nations. This does not mean, however, that every Pole is a blue-eyed, long-legged blonde of the model. We now turn to stereotypes about the French. How is the French nation perceived by the Poles? First, the fashion side. Most people associate a Frenchman with a man who walks the streets of Paris, he has a mustache and wears a striped garment, a red scarf and a beret. But is it sure that all French people are like that and all live in Paris? No, this image has imposed itself in the culture and is passed on from generation to generation. In Poland, we say "Francja elegancja!" to describe something elega...

For all French people, Epiphany is synonymous with the "Galette des rois" (a cake), which is enjoyed ceremoniously a few days before and after January 6. January 6 is the occasion in France to "choose the Kings" (to decide who will be the king of the day). The "galette des rois" is a round, flat, and golden cake made with flake pastry and often filled with frangipane, fruit, or chocolate. In Provence, the galette takes the form of a ring of brioche topped with candied fruit. A porcelain or earthenware figurine ("the bean") is placed in a traditional flat cake called a "galette", the roundness of which symbolizes the sun. The tradition has it that the youngest member of the family distribute the slices to the different people seated. The lucky one who finds the "broad bean" in his slice of the "galette" becomes the king (or queen) of the day and must choose his / her companion. Each bakery in France sells different si...

Today a little bit about New Year’s Eve in France. The French are organizing a dinner or even a festive supper with, among other things, champagne and foie gras. It could be a simple dinner with friends or a dance party. On New Year's Day, families and friends exchange New Year's greetings, make good resolutions, and sometimes exchange a few gifts (New Year's Eve). At midnight, French traditionally wish each other a Happy New Year by kissing under the mistletoe, then we go out into the street shouting "Happy New Year!" »And making a lot of noise (trumpets, horns, etc.). New Year's Eve is also the opportunity given to the President of the French Republic to transmit his presidential greetings in deferred broadcasting at 8 p.m. on the main French televisions from the Élysée Palace. Every year in Paris, many people gather on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées or under the Eiffel Tower, to celebrate the transition to the New Year with a few small fireworks. A lot o...

On December 24, the French have a special dinner called Christmas Eve celebrations. Usually with family, but also they sometimes invite close friends. Catholics go to mass before dinner. They often call this Mass the Midnight Mass because before it was traditionally at midnight but now it is no longer the case, it is rather around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. The Christmas meal is traditionally composed as follows. After the aperitif, they eat as a starter: oysters, foie gras, snails or smoked salmon. The main course is very often a turkey, accompanied by chestnuts and sometimes white or black pudding. Finally, the most popular dessert on the tables is the Yule log -  a cake with chocolate that has the shape of a log, that is, the cylindrical pieces of wood that we put in the fireplace to make a fire. They usually accompany the meal with good wines! So on the night of December 24th to 25th, Santa Claus pass to bring the gifts! He places the gifts at the foot of the tree and next to everyone's ...

Hello everyone! Today, I come to you with another sterotypes about Polish people. So let's go with the topic!            A large number of French people consider Poland to be land belonging to Russia. They do not distinguish this country as a separate territory. And it's not just the French who think so, other European countries do too. Poland has a border with part of Russia, which is called Kaliningrad Oblast, but the Polish state is not part of Russia, is independent and, like many other countries, belongs to the Union European. Not only do they consider Poland to be part of Russia, but they also say that in this country it is very cold like in Siberia. The temperatures are actually different from those of France, but it depends on the climatic zones in which these countries are located. However, it is not true that in Poland temperatures are low all year round, for example in summer the temperature can be very high, or also winter can be mild like ...

    Hello!  Today we will discuss the first well-known stereotype about Poles. Let's start!        When we ask a Frenchman about Poland, certainly the first statement about this nation would be that of being drunk like a Pole. Where does this expression come from? The etymology goes back several years and there are some theses on the exact period from which it originated. The most popular is the one we will see briefly. We have to look at the history of the Napoleonic era and even earlier, because in the 17th century, people used to say “drunk like a Swiss”. Then in the period of Napoleon Bonaparte, when the army rested between battles, Polish soldiers drank a lot of alcohol. Such a statement was then a compliment from Napoleon, admiring that Polish fighters could drink and not lose their minds - this expression would actually be a compliment indirectly given by Napoleon. Today, Poland is still associated primarily with alcohol, but this country is not...

Today there will be a post on December 6, Saint Nicholas Day. How is it in France with this day? On December 6, many homes in the North East of France celebrate Saint Nicholas Day. A celebration in homage to  Nicholas of Myra , which rewards children who have been good with an orange and gingerbread. From the evening of December 5, the children put down at the foot of the christmas tree, a glass of milk or mulled wine for Saint Nicholas and a carrot for his mule. In France, Saint Nicolas is celebrated in particular in Lorraine (the administrative region of Grand Est), in the Ardennes (the Grand Est region of northeastern France), Hauts-de-France (the northernmost region of France) and in Franche-Comté (the region of eastern France). Traditionally in Alsace, we taste the Männele, a brioche shaped like the saint . It is called Manala in the Haut-Rhin. It can be enriched with raisins or chocolate chips. Oranges and mandarins bring a sour flavor. On the night o...

Hi! Today we will briefly see what a national stereotype is. Without wasting any time, let's go! What is a national stereotype? This joins what we said last week. They are invented on the basis of a highly visible characteristic trait of the individual and then it is attributed to the nation as a whole. Like other stereotypes, they are not modifiable, it is even difficult to modify them in because of the unwillingness to change people's mindsets, so too with ignorance - we don't pay attention to reality, we just repeat stereotypes about nations we have never had contact with.  As we have said before, people guided by stereotypes do not confront beliefs with reality and therefore do not verify the accuracy and truthfulness of the stereotypes they emit and use on a daily basis. When we talk about national stereotypes, we can observe one of their functions which is to present a given nation with the help of characteristic traits that should not be attributed to every citizen -...

Hi! As you know stereotypes surround us in all areas of life. We can find them in literature, in mass media. Even in iconography we can look for stereotypes, because how to present a Frenchman in a different way from that of a man wearing a striped blouse, with a beret on his head, with a curly mustache and a baguette under his arm ? But to fully understand them, we first need to know what a stereotype is. Before I go to show you the multiple sterotypes about the French and Poles, today I will briefly explain what a stereotype is - such a short definition. 😊 Walter Lippmann was the person who in 1922, in his work Public Opinion , introduced the concept of the stereotype as "images in our heads […] of simplified descriptive categories by which we seek to situate others or groups of individuals." We must remember that the stereotype is present not only in sociology but also in linguistics. So in linguistics, in general, we can learn that it is an assembly of stable linguistic ...

Today I come to you with a post on November 11th - a national holiday for Poland called the Independence Day. I will briefly describe what it looks like from the French side. What is this day for them, do they celebrate this day in any special way? Remembrance Day is a day important both for countries in Europe and for the Commonwealth countries. This day commemorates the sacrifices of World War I as well as other wars. For France, because we will focus on it, it is the anniversary of the armistice of 1918, the day of November 11th was instituted by the law of 1922 "national day for the commemoration of the Victory and of the peace" . The law of 2012 broadens the scope to all deaths for France. It is therefore the recognition of the whole country with regard to all the Dead for France who fell during and since the Great War that is expressed this day, particularly towards the last of them.  Every November 11th, France pays tribute to the fighters and victims of the First Worl...

My name's Patrycja and I'm a master's degree student of French philology. I lived in France for 4 years of my childhood. Hence my interest in France and everything related to it. For the next 15 posts you will have to deal with me :)  After a six-month break from writing a blog, I come back to it again. I do not hide that it will probably come to me what exactly I will write about while I'm writing this blog. So far my idea for this blog is a combination of stereotypes and French culture. What do I mean by that? I would like to focus on French stereotypes - I will certainly raise in a few posts the issue of stereotypes that are present in French culture between the northern part of France and its southern coast. Perhaps I will also raise the issue of the national stereotype. I will definitely write something about the holidays during them - how does it look like in French culture, how they are celebrated there, etc. I will probably think of the rest over time wh...