A Cup of Culture: Exploring French Beliefs and Superstitions

A Cup of Culture: Exploring French Beliefs and Superstitions

By Nicolas Coullette

Did you know that you should refrain from walking under a ladder, avoid crossing a black cat or throw salt over your shoulder for good luck? So many traditions are rooted in our unconscious. Learnt in childhood these cultrally transmitted human behaviours have unknown origins but once acquired act like instincts. They can be useful to know when integrating into a new culture or to avoid an embarrassing cultural faux pas. Here are some of the most well known French customs.

Why don't we turn a baguette upside down?

Let's take a look at history to find out. Bread has been a basic food staple for thousands of years, many beliefs and customs are associated with it and Christians have made it an object of blessing.

Back in the Middle Ages, with a job despised by many, the executioner was a true pariah of society, popular prejudice against him existed well into the middle of the 19th Century. He wielded a huge amount of power and dealt with banishments, corporal punishment, torture & execution. Shamed by the people, he had to live outside the city walls, people fled his contact and merchants were reluctant to sell him their goods. He therefore enjoyed the"right to havage", that is, he could help himself daily and free of charge at merchants within the limits of what a "hand can take".

What does this have to do with bread? Well here it is: the baker, who only baked once a day, put a loaf of bread aside for him and turned it over to make sure he didn't sell it to anyone else so as not to attract the wrath of the executioner.

Nowadays, a loaf of bread or a baguette placed upside down symbolises that the executioner will come to get his due and that misfortune will fall upon the home. As a result, if someone notices a loaf is upside down, they immediately turn it over.

Why do we clink glasses before we have a drink?

For most people, it is not polite to sip an aperitif before a toast. This rather special custom also dates back to the Middle Ages. Sharing a drink with your guests was an expected ritual however, poisoning a rival's drink was an extremly common practice. So to limit the risk, the lords made a habit of toasting making sure that a little of the contents of each glass splashed into the others when they collided. Everyone then had to take a first sip while looking the other straight in the eye to prove they had no bad intentions.. They sought in the other's eye a glimmer of fear that would betray their will to kill them. Conversely, the fixed and straight gaze of your drinking companion revealed a rather reassuring sense of trust.

Why is Friday the 13th an unlucky day?

There are numerous theories behind this particular superstition, but the most widely believed is that it traces back to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper, where there are 13 in attendance, one of which was the traitor Judas. Others think it stems from the 14th century when hundreds of the Knights Templar were arrested in France on Friday 13th. This belief still prevails today and it is now a firmly embedded superstition and even has its own phobia name - paraskavedekatriaphobia. Did you know that flights tend to be much cheaper on Friday 13th because people don't want to fly on the unluckiest day of the year. In many cultures it is the number 13 itself which is considered unlucky. If you're holding a dinner party at your French home, consider the guest list carefully as 13 guests is likely to be considered inauspicious. No one wants to be labelled a ‘Judas’! Completely contrarily though in France, the French hope to get lucky with the traditional Friday 13th lottery draw.

Why don’t we gift chrysanthemums in France?

Giving flowers is a lovely custom enjoyed by many cultures. In France, there are some who might be offended by a bouquet of chrysanthemums “the flower of the dead” as they are thought to bring bad luck. That being said, they are the most popular flower sold across France at Toussaint’s when chrysanthemums are placed on the grave of a loved one.

Step in dog poo with your left foot not right.

The unlucky probability of stepping in dog poop when strolling around many towns in France is sadly very high. But according to superstition, which foot slipped in the poop is more important. It is widely thought that if you step in it with your right foot unluck will befall you but if it’s your left, good luck is just around the corner. I don’t think I’ll be trying it out though!

Why do we stick fish on your back on April Fools' Day?

Consolidating & simplifying the calendar back in 532, so that the year began on January the 1st, didn’t quite go to plan. In fact, many regions of France, continued to celebrate the new year on April 1st in line with the old tradition! But in 1554 King Charles IX’s Roussillon Edict enforced it meaning New year gifts were exchanged three months earlier leaving nothing left for April the 1st. It just so happened that on April the 1st, fishing in France was prohibited making fish as rare as new year gifts at that time! The fish became a symbol for making fun of poor people who couldn’t afford fish. Today on April fool's day pranksters attempt to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed.

Author: Nicolas Coullette, founder of A votre Service offers a complete range of administrative and relocation services.