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Les symboles nationaux de la France
Le drapeau tricolore
Le drapeau tricolore is the French national flag, comprised of
three vertical bands of
blue, white, and red. Le drapeau tricolore is a modification of
la cocarde tricolore.
Although the flag has been altered many times throughout the
past 200 years of
French history, the current drapeau tricolore was established as
the official flag of
the Republic of France under the constitutions of 1946 and
1958.
Libert, galit, fraternit
The national motto of France is libert, egalit, fraternit. The
origin of the phrase is
ambiguous and heavily disputed, but it is believed to have
surfaced during the
French Revolution as an amalgamation of slogans used at the
time. It was officially
institutionalized under the Third Republic at the end of the
19th century, and could
be seen inscribed on buildings in France as early as the 1880s.
The phrase was
enshrined in the 1946 constitution and in Article 2 of the 1958
constitution, where it
remains today. The phrase is displayed on the current logo of
the French Republic
under a tricolor profile of the Marianne, as well as on some
French stamps and euro
coins. The official slogan of France, like the French flag and
the national anthem, La
Marseillaise, is protected under the French Constitution.
La Marseillaise
La Marseillaise is the national anthem of France. Written and
composed by Claude
Joseph Rouget de Isle in 1792, it was originally a rallying cry
during the French
Revolution. It is entitled La Marseillaise due to its original
adoption as the marching
song for the National Guard of Marseille. In 1795 it was adopted
as the first national
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anthem of France, and was subsequently banned by both Louis
XVIII and Napoleon
III. It was not until 1879 that the work was reinstated as the
official national anthem.
La Marianne
The profile of the Marianne appears on the official seal of the
country, is engraved on
coins, and drawn on stamps and banknotes. The symbols roots can
be traced back
to 1792, when a popular song in the south of France used
"Marianne" as a metaphor
for the French Republic. The Marianne rose in status during
Frances Second
Empire under Napoleon III, and gradually evolved into an
official symbol of France
under the Third Republic (1870-1940). In 1999, a law was passed
in France
requiring that a new government logo, which incorporates the
Marianne, be stamped
on every official document produced by the French authorities.
The Marianne serves
to both unify government public relations and present a modern
image of the state.
Le bonnet phrygien
Le bonnet phrygien (the Phrygian cap) is a vestige of Roman
times. In ancient Rome
recently freed slaves that became Roman citizens had to wear a
conical red
headpiece, which was then adopted in 1792 during the French
Revolution by
revolutionary soldiers who wore it as part of their uniform. In
1793 the cap actually
became mandatory in the Assemblies in Paris. Since then, it is
mainly seen atop the
head of the Marianne.
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La cocarde tricolore
La cocarde tricolore is cockade, or circular insignia, composed
of the three colors of
the French flag: a blue dot in the center, a white middle
circle, then red circle on the
outside. It was designed by Jacque-Louis David in 1794 and
originally worn by
soldiers under the reign of Louis XIV. During the storming of
the Bastille it was worn
by the Paris militia to combine the colors of Paris, red and
blue, with the color of the
Bourbons, white, out of respect for the monarchy. After the fall
of Bastille, Louis XIV
proclaimed his approval for the new mayor of Paris and the new
head of the National
Guard by placing la cocarde on his hat. This became the new
symbol of the National
Guard, which succeeded the militia.
Le coq
Le coq is one of the most identifiable symbols of France.
Inspired by a play on words
between the Latin word for rooster, Gaullus, and France, Gaul,
le coq has now
become an unofficial national symbol and mascot of France. It
has been used
intermittently since medieval times on France engravings and
coins. Le coq saw its
popularity rise during the French Revolution as a sign of
Frances identity, and today
is one of the most widely recognized symbols, especially in the
realm of sports. It is
also used by French companies such as Le Coq Sportif and Path in
their
logos.
Le faisceau de licteur
Another symbol of Roman times, le faisceau de licteur is bundle
of wooden sticks
with an axe in the center that were carried by lictors, or
guards, tasked with
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protecting the magistrates of the Republic. The French variation
is gilded with
branches of oak that symbolize justice, olive trees that
symbolize peace, and a
shield with the initial of the Republic of France (RF) engraved
upon it. It is meant to
represent the unity of France as one and indivisible after the
fall of the monarchy,
and the strength of French citizens gathered to defend liberty
and freedom. In 1913,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs adopted the bundle as part of
its emblem, and since
then it has also come to symbolize the French Republic.
La gerbe
La gerbe de bl is a wreath of wheat symbolizing harvest and
abundance, with its
tied, knotted stems symbolizing convergence. The symbol harks
back to the famine
and starvation of the revolutionary years. In 1848, some
representations of Marianne
carried this symbol instead of le bonnet phrygien.
La Semeuse
La semeuse (the Sower) is the image of a young woman standing
with her hair
shaped in the style of the Phyrgian cap, holding a bag of grain
in her left hand and
scattering wheat. She was created in 1897 by Oscar Roty as a
symbol of the energy
and vigor of the French people. She is now represented on euro
cent coins and
stamps.
