- Marriage: In France, it is actually allowed to marry a dead person! The only criterion is that you can prove that the person you want to marry had the same intention to marry you.
- Clothing: What is one of the last things you would associate with France in terms of clothing? Scots, for example, are known for wearing kilts and are a very different people in both language and behavior. But the kilt actually comes from France, not Scotland!
- Regent: While France may boast ancient monuments, they also have one point where they impress with something that was only there for a short time: A regent. Louis Antony of France, Duke of Angoulême was King of France for just under 20 minutes in 1830.
- April Fools: Who doesn’t love a good April Fool’s joke? It’s actually a French tradition. It started when they switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. They just didn’t communicate this message well enough, which led to a lot of confusion.
- Accidental: Every country and even every region has expressions, proverbs and signs for good and bad luck. One of the French ones is that if you turn a baguette upside down, it’s bad luck.
- Music: You can regulate too much, and this is also the case with music played on privately owned radio stations. A law dictates that at least 40 percent of the music played on such radio stations must be of French origin. In addition, half of the French music must not be older than six months.
- Flag: The French flag is called the “Tricolor” and consists of the colors red, white and blue. The flag was introduced during the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century and was meant to stand for “Equality, Liberty and Fraternity” in opposition to the ruling royal power. France was transitioning from a monarchy to a republic at the time. The flag has since inspired many other countries’ flags, especially those with three colors.
- Time zones: Did you know that France is one of the countries in the world with the most time zones? It doesn’t seem that big when you compare it to China, Russia and Canada, for example. But if you include the time zones of their colonies and overseas territories, they actually cover 12 time zones.
- Tourist destinations: France is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, with approximately 82 million visitors every year. Of course, they have to see the Eiffel Tower, but the Notre Dame Cathedral is even more popular than the Eiffel Tower.
- Roundabouts: Don’t get too excited, but believe it or not, France actually has almost half of the world’s roundabouts. That’s more than 30,000 when you add them up.
Fact: Louis Antony of France, Duke of Angouleme, ruled the country for less than 20 minutes. As successor to his father, Charles X, who had just abdicated, Louis himself chose to abdicate shortly afterwards.
