France has six national symbols: the Tricolor Flag, La Marseillaise, Bastille Day, the national motto, the Great Seal of France, and Marianne. These symbols represent the French Republic and its people.
Every nation in the world is identified by virtue of its national symbols. While these symbols vary from country to country, there are some that are common everywhere, such as the national flag and anthem. In France, there are six national symbols representing the Republic:
The Tricolor Flag
The first of the six symbols is the French flag. It consists of three colors – blue, white and red – drawn in vertical stripes and divided equally across the flag. Blue is closest to the hoist, followed by white in the center and red at the fly end. The blue and red colors are symbols of Paris, the capital of France. White represents French royalty that still existed when the flag was first used at the start of the French Revolution in 1789.
“La Marseillaise”
Also one of the symbols of the French Revolution, “La Marseillaise” was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, Captain of Engineers of the Army of the Rhine, when he was sent to Strasbourg in 1792. He originally created this song to be sung during the march of the army from Marseilles to Paris. “La Marseillaise” was accepted as the official French national anthem in 1795.
National holiday
On July 14, 1789, French citizens raided the Paris Bastille in an attempt to free the political prisoners held inside. This revolutionary act sparked the French Revolution, marking the end of the monarchy and the beginning of the French Republic. Since then, every July 14, Bastille Day or Fête Nationale, has been recognized as one of the most important symbols of France.
Freedom, equality, fraternity
This national motto is one of France’s best-known symbols and is displayed not only on the official French logo, but also on items such as coins and souvenirs. Meaning “Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood,” it was first introduced during the French Revolution of 1789, but was only officially accepted in the French Third Republic and written into the 1958 constitution.
Great Seal of France
Created by Jean-Jacques Barré, today’s Great Seal is the one that was established during the Second Republic in 1848. Another of the country’s significant symbols, the seal depicts Madame Liberté holding a bundle in one hand while placing the other hand over a ship’s rudder. An urn, with the abbreviation “SU” for universal suffrage (universal suffrage), lies at her feet.
The phrase République française démocratique une et indivisibl (French Democratic Republic, one and indivisible) is engraved circularly above Lady Liberté. The phrases Au nom du peuple français (on behalf of the French people) and Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité are also engraved on the back of the seal. These inscriptions are symbols of the heart of the French Republic and its people.
Marianne
Marianne is one of the most important symbols of France, but her origins remain a mystery, as she has been depicted differently by various artists. From a mother nursing two children to an angry warrior singing the Marseillaise on the Arc de Triomphe, Marianne represents the “Triumph of the Republic” and appears everywhere – in building sculptures, coins, banknotes, stamps and on the logo of the French government.
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