An other fascinating French idiom! "Tomber dans les pommes" literally translates as "to fall in the apples"! - What it actually means is to "pass out/to faint"!
The first of May has been an annual public holiday in France, known as La fête du travail (labour day) since 1948. It also marks a beautiful tradition “la fête du muguet” (lily of the valley festival). Back on 1 st May 1560, King Charles IX of France was presented with a bouquet of muguet ( lily of the valley ) as a lucky charm. The king appreciated the gift so much that he decided to gift a bunch of lily of the valley to the women of his court every year on the 1 st May. The gesture became more commonplace at the beginning of the 20 th century with men presenting the flowers to women to show their affection. Today, it has become traditional to give a sprig of the blooms (or send a card) as a token of love or friendship and good luck to close friends and family members. For just one day each year, the French government allows the tax-free sale of lily of the valley on the street to promote this tradition. I remember going on a yearly outing with my parents and picking mu
Départements et Territoires D’outre-mer. A thousand miles from mainland France, in the heart of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, lay amazing and unusual locations: the French overseas territories. Lush vegetation, spectacular panoramic views, beautiful white sandy beaches, mountains and waterfalls await you in this very different aspect of France. The Départements et Territoires D’outre-mer ( the overseas Departments and territories ) refer collectively to all territories under French sovereignty outside mainland France. They are considered an integral part of France and overall cover 12 time zones. All citizens living in overseas French territories can vote in the elections and have representation in the French parliament. They include: The islands of Guadeloupe , Martinique , Saint Martin , Saint Barthelemy , Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Atlantic Ocean) Reunion Island , Mayotte , The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (indian Ocean) French Polynesia , New Cale
In France, in order to be a candidate in a French election, you have to be a French citizen aged 18 years or over and need to collect at least 500 signatures (or parrainages ) from elected officials to back your campaign. The French word “ parrainage” means sponsorship or guardianship. The word derives from “ parrain” – godfather. The signatures can be collected from anyone elected to public office from village mayors to MPs, MEPs and Senators. However, the officials must come from: · At least 30 different French “ départements” (equivalent of counties in the UK) or overseas French territories · With no more than 50 signatures coming from one “ département” or overseas territory. This year, candidates have until March 4th to gain the signatures they need. French social media users have recently spotted many obscure politicians tweeting pictures of either a signed form or a letter being popped into the post-box – they are making a public declarat
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