When conversing about French culture, the first word which comes to our mind is "Paris" but it is not the only point what this culture consists!! It is a deep-seated culture beyond our imagination. Before learning about the French culture it is necessary to know what culture stands for? Talking about culture, it is a mixture of various perceptions, beliefs, customs and tradition of a specific group of people, a community which varies regionally, geographically all over the world. French culture is the most classy and lavish culture known for its fashion, cuisine, art and architecture. In fact, in case of France, the word culture itself was originated from there. Its national existence established on the ancient ancestry of a nation in Celtic, Gallo-Roman, and Frankish (a German tribe) cultures. The word "France" was originally used for particular peoples in lower Rhineland but later on, it was referred as a territory which was known as Gaul in the course of Iron Age and Roman era.

LINGUISTIC CONNECTIONS

The official and majority language are spoken over there is French. It is a dominant language of the majority of the population but there is a number of exceptions varying based on region. It has been imposed since the 19th century. There are several other regional languages such as Breton, Catalan, Corsican, Basque, Alsatian, and Flemish which are still in use in some parts. About 3 percent of the population speaks German dialects and a small number of people are Flemish speakers in the northeast. French is the second most widely learned foreign language in the world and Arabic is the third-largest minority language. People living near the border of Italy may speak Italian as their second language whereas people living along the French-Spanish border speaks Basque.

RELIGION

There are basically five major types of religions which came into existence, these are Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Catholicism is the ruling religion over there. According to CIA, about 23 to 28 percent people of France do not have any religion.

PRINCIPLES

The French people are generally ethnocentric about their culture and if someone especially Americans, try to state any negative comments regarding their culture or interfere with their policies these French people are offended. Foreigners often interpret their attitude as rude. The French people embrace their style and sophistication which makes them exceptional. The French believe in égalité, which means equality and also it is a part of the country's motto: "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité". The main highlight of their culture is romance and passion which results towards an open attitude for sex outside of marriage. Apart from traditional marriages, French couples have an option of getting a pacte civil de solidarité (PACS) which is a union that has many of the same benefits of marriage, like tax breaks, but can be dissolved with a notice or by marrying someone else or instead of a divorce.

Mode de vie français (FRENCH LIFESTYLE)

Discussing French cuisine, Food and alcohol (wine) are the basic elements of French cuisine. While with time cooking methods have been switched to various other approach but still many of them still love to cook with heavy sauces and complex preparation. Some classic cuisines are: boeuf bourguignon which is a stew made of beef braised in red wine, beef broth and seasoned with garlic, onions and mushrooms and coq au vin which is a dish made with chicken, Burgundy wine, lardons which is a small strips or cubes of pork fat, button mushrooms, onions and optional garlic. 

Coming towards the clothing of French people, Paris is considered as the home for many popular fashion houses. Many of the French people love to dress in a sophisticated, professional and fashionable style. Regular outfits include nice dresses, suits, long coats, scarves and berets.

VACATIONS & CELEBRATIONS

The people over there celebrate the traditional Christmas vacations and Easter. They also celebrate May Day (also known as Labour Day) on May 1. On May 8 they also celebrate Victory in Europe Day which marks the end of World War II. Bastille Day is also celebrated on July 14.