French people like festivals, whether it is Christmas and New Year, Valentine's Day or Ghost Festival. They all pay attention to having fun, choosing gifts, preparing dinner and singing and dancing, all for this ultimate goal.

Taking Christmas as an example, buying food and gifts is a prelude to the festival and one of the highlights of the festival. In order to make the recipients happy, many French people began to look around for gifts a month in advance. Not only the object of giving gifts is exquisite, but also the preferences of relatives and friends should be kept in mind in order to choose a gift that suits your appetite. If there are children at home, buying gifts is even more mysterious and interesting. Gifts should be satisfactory, and it is best to bring unexpected surprises. On Christmas Eve, people hang presents on the Christmas tree or stuff them into socks.

In the past Christmas, the average consumption of shopping in France was 490 euros. Among the consumer products, some high-tech products such as MP3 are favored. Parents buy novel electronic control products for their children, and some toys that everyone is optimistic about even have sales booths. Santa Claus wearing a red coat and trousers and a pointed hat is also very popular. Santa Claus who climbed the roof and drilled the chimney was bought and hung on the eaves.

For a long time, housewives have been busy tidying up and decorating their homes. Balloons or ribbons are hung in each room, and small decorative items are placed to set off the festive atmosphere, so that families can have a happy mood to welcome the holiday. When Christmas comes, Christmas trees are erected in every living room, and flashing lights tease the smiling faces of family members. Families with high income and good conditions should also light fireplaces and candles, and the tableware in the restaurant should be elegant and tidy. Some silver knives and forks and crystal wine glasses that are not commonly used at ordinary times will be put on the table at this time.

Caroline, a French friend who has been to China several times, told reporters that Christmas in France is similar to the Spring Festival in China, and it is also a warm and romantic day for family reunion. Children who work and study in other places return to their parents' homes, and their families get together for Christmas dinner. The French don't go out for Christmas dinner unless they have to. The amount of food for dinner is not very large, but it is more complicated and detailed than usual, because eating is not the most important thing, and everyone gets together just for fun.

It is an essential program for a family to sit around, open a bottle of champagne and drink a glass. Roasted turkey is a traditional food in Christmas dinner, and brightly colored turkey is served on the table, which makes people have an appetite. Because the turkey is not small, it is not easy to cook. Those who want to be lazy can choose to buy it in the supermarket, and the price is not expensive. Whether the foie gras is fried hot or cold, it will be praised by the family. Oysters, salted or smoked salmon, apples marinated in red wine, firewood-shaped Christmas cakes, desserts and chocolates appear on most people's Christmas menus.

On Christmas Eve, Paris is not as noisy as expected. Except for places where a few tourists gather, most of the cities are quiet, with no noise and firecrackers. Every family's home is filled with the smell of food, and the whole city is filled with a warm atmosphere. From the street to the alley, the colored lights flashed silently. The colored lights in the block are different, and the frontispiece and window of big shopping malls such as Galeries Lafayette and Spring Department Store are even more beautiful and have beautiful scenery.

The midnight mass at Christmas is also very attractive. Catholics go to church for midnight mass. People gathered in the church and brought some sweets and snacks to the choir. Foreign tourists flocked to Notre Dame de Paris to watch the midnight mass there. Locals like to go to Madeleine church, where they can hear fresh and pleasant music. There are also some young people who are pursuing new trends. They don't want to stay at home or be reunited with their families, so they go to restaurants and bars to sing and drink. Watching the lights and enjoying the scenery, family reunion, eating, drinking, and being unhappy are not French.

The French pay attention to wine.

You can drink several different wines at a meal, and the order is very clear. Generally divided into aperitif, aperitif, table wine and after-dinner wine.

Pre-dinner wines include martini, whisky on the rocks, jujube wine, sweet white wine and so on. The most popular is Ricard, which is diluted with three or four times of water and turns white before drinking. The taste is strange, the color is turbid, like boiled fresh milk, not like wine at all, but like medicine. In addition, there is pink champagne at wedding banquets and birthday banquets. There is also an aperitif made of wild strawberry juice and a lot of white wine or champagne, which is also very delicious and called Kir. The side dishes of aperitif wine are mostly salty cheesecake, olives, peanuts and so on. Host and guest can talk while drinking, and can drink for two hours before eating alone.

There are several possibilities for dinner wine before and after meals: one is red wine, the other is white wine or pink wine. Red wine should be accompanied by meat, and white wine should be accompanied by seafood. Red wine must be placed on the dining table two hours before the meal, so that its temperature is the same as indoor, in order to taste the real taste of red wine. Because most French people store red wine in wine cellars, the temperature in wine cellars is much lower than the indoor temperature.

The French like drinking very much and have always regarded drinking as a kind of enjoyment of life. In addition to the procedure of drinking, they should also drink the corresponding wine according to the types of food provided. If it is chicken, duck and fish (white), drink white wine; If it is pork, beef and mutton (red), drink red wine. Ordinary people, especially manual workers, often have a drink or two in a nearby hotel before lunch. After work in the afternoon, I will have a drink or two, and I will "sigh the world" several times a day.

Matters needing attention in French tourism etiquette

1) social etiquette

Compared with the British and Germans, the French communicate with people in different ways. Mainly has the following characteristics:

First, I am sociable and sociable. For the French, socialization is an important part of life, and life without social activities is unimaginable.

Second, humor is romantic by nature. Most of them are hearty and enthusiastic in interpersonal communication. People who are eloquent and good at joking, hate people who don't like to talk, and people who can't accept frowning. Influenced by traditional culture, French people not only love adventure, but also like romantic experience.

Third, the desire for freedom and poor discipline. The French are the most famous "liberals" in the world. "Freedom, equality and fraternity" is not only determined by the French Constitution as the national motto, but also clearly written on the national emblem. Although they pay attention to the legal system, they are generally poor in discipline and do not like collective action against the French. You must make an appointment in advance and be punctual, but you should also be prepared in advance for being late.

Fourth, strong self-esteem and preference for "domestic products". French fashion, food and art are world-renowned. Under this influence, the French have a strong sense of national pride and pride. In their view, everything in the world is the best in France. When talking with the French, if you can speak a few words of French, it will definitely make the other person enthusiastic.

Fifth, chivalry and respect for women. In interpersonal communication, the etiquette adopted by the French mainly includes shaking hands, hugging and kissing.

(2) dress etiquette

The French are famous for their exquisite clothes and decorations. The so-called "Parisian style" means the same as fashion and fashion in the ears of the world.

On formal occasions: French people usually wear suits, dresses or gowns, which are mostly blue, gray or black in color and mostly made of pure wool.

When attending the celebration ceremony: you usually wear formal clothes. Most men wear evening dresses with bows, or black suits; Women wear mostly dress-style monochrome big dresses or small dresses.

For dressing up, the French believe that the key is whether the collocation is correct. When choosing hairstyles, handbags, hats, shoes, watches and glasses, they all emphasize that they should be in harmony with their own clothes.

(3) Catering etiquette

As one of the three world-famous cooking kingdoms, the French are very particular about food. Among western food, French food can be said to be the most exquisite.

French people love pasta, and there are many kinds of bread. Most of them love cheese; In terms of meat, they like to eat beef, pork, chicken, caviar and foie gras, and don't eat fat, pets, animal offal other than liver, scaleless fish and biting fish.

French people especially drink. They drink almost every meal, and at the dinner table they pay attention to different dishes with different kinds of drinks. Besides drinks, French people usually like to drink raw water and coffee.

French people are allowed to put their hands on the table when eating, but they are not allowed to put their elbows on the table. When they put down their knives and forks, they are used to putting them half on the plate and half on the table.

(4) Custom taboos

The national flower of France is iris. Don't give chrysanthemums, peonies, roses, rhododendrons, daffodils, marigold and paper flowers to the French at will.

The national bird of France is a rooster. They think this is a direct manifestation of courage and tenacity.

The national stone of France is pearl.

Most French people like blue, white and red, and the colors they are afraid of are mainly yellow and dark green.

The numbers that the French are afraid of are "13" and "Friday".

In interpersonal communication, the French attach great importance to gifts, but they also have their own special attention. Articles with artistic taste and commemorative significance should be selected, and knives, swords, scissors, tableware or articles with obvious advertising signs should not be used. It is also inappropriate for a man to send perfume to a woman with an average relationship. It is impolite to accept a gift without opening the package in front of the giver.