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Voodoo is a religion based on spirit worship, which originated in western Africa, and was brought to Haiti and other francophone colonies by slaves brought in to work on plantations. Here, the religion and many of its symbols became a mix of its original African beliefs and French Catholicism. The practitioners of Voodoo are known as vodouisants, and they believe in a single all powerful and unreachable creator known as Bondye, which comes from the french Bon Dieu; Good God. They believe that Bondye is totally separated from the physical world, so they worship the spirits who are servants of Bondye, called the Loa. These Loa represent every aspect of human life, from love (Erzulie Freda) to agriculture (Kouzin Zaka). The vodouisants have combined their beliefs with many aspects of Catholicism, many believe that the Christian God and Bondye are one in the same, and the Loa are all associated with a specific catholic saint. Haitian Voodoo is a fascinating mix of European and African beliefs, and shows a unique perspective on a type of Francophone culture I have yet to discuss yet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Vodou

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Most Americans are familiar with the Vietnam War, but much fewer realize that the Indochina War between the French military and Vietnamese rebels was the precursor that would eventually lead to America's Vietnam War. But how did it get to this point? The Indochina War began after WW2 after the defeat of Japan by the allied forces, who controlled Vietnam at the time. The forces in south Vietnam surrendered to European forces, while in the north the surrendered to communist Chinese forces. The communists put together their own government, but this was overthrew not long after its formation by France. The French occupied the area and attempted to put a more capitalism friendly government into power. Rural folk didn't like this, so they began a guerrilla war that would last from 1946 to 1954. It was a long and bloody war, and the insurgents would be supported by the Soviets and the Chinese. This would last until the International Geneva Conference July of 1954, where the new French-Socialist government agreed to give control of North Vietnam to the Viet Minh, to much disdain of both the U.S. and South Vietnam. This is what would eventual lead to the Vietnam War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Indochina_War

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November 11th is Armistice Day in France, and it celebrates the lives that were lost during and the end of the first world war. France played a major role in the war, and multiple battles were fought in the country. Pre-war France was a powerhouse in Europe, and the rest of the world, and their biggest rival in continental Europe was Germany. When Germany entered the war, France soon followed to oppose Germany. The war lasted a little over four years, from summer of 1914 to November 11, 1918. The French military had a pretty rough time during the war, the army suffered many casualties. About 1.3 million French soldiers died during the war. One of the biggest battles of the war was fought in France; the Battle of Verdun. The German's goal was to take the French city of Verdun, but the French army wouldn't allow it. The battle lasted from February to December, but by the end, the French were victorious, and Verdun was never taken. By the end of the war, France was badly hurt, but victorious, and every November 11th the French people celebrate this victory and remember all those who died so it could happen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Army_in_World_War_I

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November 1st in France, and many other countries, is All Saints Day (La Toussaint). This is a national religious holiday (specifically catholic) that celebrates the lives of saints as well as the lives of relatives and loved ones who have died. All schools and most businesses are closed during this time. It is tradition to visit the graves of family and put wreaths of flowers or chrysanthemums on them. Many churches usually hold a special service in honor of the event. This year, La Toussaint took place on a Thursday, which means that many people probably took a "bridge" holiday and also did not work or go to school that Friday as well. This event is known as faire le pont in France. This holiday is celebrated all over the christian world, and the version most known in North America would be the one in Mexico, Dia de los Muertos, or the day of the dead. La Toussaints is one of two French holidays celebrated in November, the other being Armistice Day, or Armistice de la Première Guerre mondiale, which celebrates the end of world war 1 and all the people who died in the war.

https://www.french-property.com/news/travel_france/public_holidays_france_2018/
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/france/all-saints-day

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Chris Benoit was born in 1967 and spent most of his early life in Quebec before moving to Alberta. In his teenage years, he became fascinated with the world of professional wrestling, and began training with one of Canada's most famous wrestling families, the Harts. Benoit was a natural, making it all the way to becoming a headlining star for the WWE by the end of his career. Then, on June 25, 2007, Benoit, his wife, and 7 year old son were found dead in his home in Fayetteville, Georgia. The police ruled the deaths a double homicide suicide, determining that Benoit killed his wife and son before hanging himself. This news shocked the wrestling world. Benoit's father requested an autopsy be performed on his son's brain, which was performed by the head of neurosurgery at West Virginia University. The doctor said Benoit's brain resembled that of an 85 year old Alzheimer patient, which was similar to results found in retired NFL players who have suffered repeated concussions. In the years following his death, the WWE tried to distance itself from Benoit, and he was not acknowledged until 2018, when he was posthumously added to the WWE Hall of Fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Benoit

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Autumn is the season of literature in France. Every fall, publishers release hundreds of novels from their best authors in the hope that their novel will win literary prizes along with the money of the general public. This year, the season will run from August 16 to October 31, and 576 novels will be released. One news outlet described it as "the Cannes Film Festival of literature in France." This is a hectic time for book store employees, where they are required to read many of the books before they are released so they can know what to recommend to their customers. One novel released during this time is selected to win the prestigious Prix Goncourt literary award, which usually means that this novel will go on to sell hundreds of thousands of copies. This system of book selling has been in France for years, but it has gained its fair share of criticism. Novels by debut authors have a hard time finding success in this sea of novels released by already established authors. Another problem is the crunch this time frame puts on authors; they are so worried about finishing on time, that the quality of the work suffers.

https://www.france24.com/en/20180928-rentree-litteraire-blessing-or-curse-french-publishing-industry

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Hockey is by far the most popular sport in all of Canada, and no other hockey team in the country has more prestige or history than the Montreal Canadians. The Canadians are one of the oldest sports teams in North America, and the oldest hockey team still operating in the world, founded in 1909, the team even predates the NHL itself. The official French name of the team is le Club de hockey Canadien, and are commonly called by their nickname the Habs. They hold the record for the most Stanley cups won by any team, 24, although they have not won the championship since the 92-93 season. The official motto for the team is Nos bras meutris vous tendent le flambeau, a vous toujours de le porter bien haut, which is a quote from the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae. They have a few rivalries with some other teams in the league, by none as bitter as the one they have with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Multiple riots and fights have broken out during games between the two teams, which was partly due to the tensions the French and English cultural division in Canada.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_Canadiens#/media/File:Montreal_Canadiens.svg

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Marie Curie was a physicist/chemist whose research on radiation was revolutionary, and earned her two Nobel Prizes. Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland on November 7, 1867. She began to learn the sciences in Warsaw, but at 24 she moved to Paris to continue her studies. Here she met her husband and officially naturalized to become a French citizen. Her accomplishments include developing the theory of radiation (a term she coined) and the discovery of two new elements, Polonium and Radium. In 1903 she won her first Nobel Prize (being the first woman to do so) and a second in 1911 (the only woman ever to win two). After the tragic death of her husband in a cart accident, she was offered his teaching position at the university of Paris, becoming the first woman professor at the institution. Most of her students were drafted into WW1, so during this time she developed mobile x-rays and radiation stations to help injured soldiers. She died in 1934 from health complications due to prolonged exposure to radiation. She overcame xenophobia and sexism to become one of the greatest scientists of all time, and is a role model to physicists and chemists everywhere.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie

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Ubisoft is a French video game company based in Montreuil (a suburb of Paris, France) and is the fourth largest video game in the Americas and Europe. The company that is now an industry giant has humble beginnings. On March 12, 1986 the five Guillemot  brothers in the city of Carentoir (in France's Brittany region) started the company Ubi Soft. During these early years they made games exclusively in French for French audiences. Only months after starting the company they released their first game, Fer et Flamme for the Amstrad CPC. As time went on the company began to expand all over Europe, and by the Early 90's they were the biggest game company in all of France. By the end of the 90's Ubi Soft was a full fledged international company with offices in Milan, Shanghai, and Montreal. As of today the Guillemot family still holds a lot of power within the company, and the oldest of the brothers, Yves, is currently the CEO. In recent years the company has released some of its most popular and well known games, including the Assassins Creed series and the Just Dance series.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft
https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/

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The 1976 Summer Olympics and the Parc Olympique

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The 1976 Summer Olympics and the Parc Olympique

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In 1976, the summer Olympics were held in Montreal, Canada. This was the first (and only) summer Olympic games to be held in Canada. From the very beginning, the games seemed like they would be a disaster. To say the games went over budget would be an understatement. According to the Oxford Olympic Study, the total budget over run of the 1976 Olympics (after inflation) was 6.1 billion dollars, 720% greater than the estimated cost. Most of this is because of the Conseil des métiers de la construction union, who at the time was shaking down the government and keeping the construction site in a constant state of chaos. The Premier of Quebec finally paid an undisclosed amount of money to end the shakedown and the stadium was built. When the games were over, Montreal was stuck with the astronomical bill. Most citizens see the games and the stadium as a massive waste of money and an eyesore of a building. The Parc Olympique is now used primarily as a training facility for athletes and a gym open to the public. It stands as a monument to the world that hosting the Olympics is never worth the trouble it causes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Summer_Olympics
https://parcolympique.qc.ca/en/what-to-do/olympic-stadium/

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One aspect of French culture that especially interests me is their strong beliefs in the separation of church and state. The French word for this is Laïcité, and is a tradition that goes back to the French revolution. The French take great pride in their secular tradition, and it is heavily enforced to make sure that there is total separation between religion and the state, to make sure that religion never influences what is the best course of action for the state. This of course does not mean that all French citizens atheists, according to one source 64% of the population of France is Roman Catholic, while only somewhere between 23%-27% of French citizens do not subscribe to any religion. Laïcité has a lot of critics as well. When the French government began enforcing Laïcité they argued that it was for the freedom of thought and freedom of religion, it's opponents says that it creates a culture of anti-clericalism, where religion is unfairly targeted by the government. As a non-religious person myself, I find it fascinating to look at the differences between the French and American views on freedom of religion and how it affects the people.
https://www.livescience.com/39149-french-culture.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La%C3%AFcit%C3%A9

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Puy du Fou is a French theme park that specializes in spectacular live performances based on different historical eras. It is a theme park unlike any in the United States, it has no rides or roller coasters, just live performances. These shows are all based on real historical events, although very romanticized. Located in Les Epesses, Vendee (somewhere in the heart of Western France) the first show took place in June of 1978, and the park has been going strong ever since. Today, it is the second most visited theme park in all of France, behind only Disneyland Paris. They were in the news recently for their new and bizarre way of cleaning up the park; with birds. They recently trained a group of rooks (a bird similar to a crow) to clean up cigarette butts and other small pieces of trash off the ground. Between the amazing shows and the trash collecting birds, it is definitely one of the places I would like to visit if I ever go to France.

https://www.puydufou.com/en
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puy_du_Fou

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Daft punk is an electronic music duo from Paris, France. They were formed in 1993 by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. The two originally met in an indie rock band that disbanded only after a few years and never reached main stream success. One critic negatively described the bands music as being "daft punk," which is how Guy and Thomas decided the name for their next project. The duo has reached astounding success since their formation, selling over 7 million records. The duo is most known for, besides their music, their unique style of clothing. They usually don robotic helmets whenever they perform live, giving them a very identifiable look. The group has been going strong since their inception, releasing a total of five studio albums and still going strong to this day. I have been a fan of the group ever since I was in high school, and I look forward to their next release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAjR4_CbPpQ

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daft_Punk