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Tag Archives: la marseillaise

Aux armes, citoyens ! The History of the French National Anthem Posted by on Nov 19, 2015

Les hymnes nationaux (national anthems) are patriotic numbers used to tell the history, traditions, and struggles of a country and unite its citizens. Their styles vary per country – some versions are standard fanfares, some sway more toward operatic pieces, and others have difficult lyrics that are very easy to flub! As an American, I…

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Singing “La Marseillaise”… (Probably Not the One You Know!) Posted by on Jan 2, 2014

It’s no big secret, if anyone were mad enough to scream in the French capital, home of the Paris Saint-Germain, “Allez l’OM” (OM = Olympique de Marseille), chances are, people will say that he or she is en train de chercher la petite bête (literally meaning “looking for the small beast”, and meaning “picking for…

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Meet the Craziest French Prankster On the Planet Posted by on Aug 25, 2011

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you must have seen or heard of the hilariously crazy phénomène called “RÉMI GAILLARD”… If not, then my friends, il est grand temps (it’s high time) for you to discover him!

Joyeux Ramadan and Joyeux National Holiday of La Suisse Posted by on Aug 1, 2011

Today is a double celebration: The French Blog wishes you a Joyeux Ramadan and a joyeuse fête nationale Suisse ! We hope that this coïncidence de calendrier (calendar coincidence) will be especially significant, and serves to bring Swiss Muslims and all other Swiss people, de toutes les confessions (of all the faiths), closer together! The *very special* couteau suisse (Swiss knife) that you…

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“La Brabançonne”: The National Anthem of Belgium (in French) Posted by on May 10, 2011

A few years ago, Yves Leterme, ex-Prime Minister of La Belgique (Belgium) was asked by a journalist, “à l’improviste” (unexpectedly), if he knew the lyrics of l’hymne national (national hymn) of his country. The answer of Leterme? He started singing la Marseillaise, the French national anthem! * * * The video showing Leterme  “en flagrant délit”…

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Ô Canada: The Canadian National Anthem in French Posted by on Sep 16, 2010

Alors, quoi dire de la culture française à Terre-Neuve? Actually, although it’s bilingual, Newfoundland is not very French. (It is awfully irlandais—Irish—however, for reasons of historical migration.)   One element of bilinguality les Terre-neuviens can’t get away from, however, is l’hymne national, the national anthem.  “O Canada,” or “Ô Canada” (with a chapeau on the…

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