Les symboles de la République française translates to the symbols of France. During a course I took this semester, we spent some time talking about the true symbols of France. No, their symbols do not include the Eiffel Tower, or the Louvre museum. The symbols of France are:

1. The flag
2. Marianne
3. The national motto
4. La Marseillaise- The French national anthem

The Flag
– The flag comes from the French Revolution. The blue and red represent the colors of France and the white represents the monarchy.

Marianne
– She is a symbol of the people. She is a symbol of the republic, one of liberty and reason. She can be found on official papers, on stamps, and on French euro coins.

The National Motto
– The national motto of France is liberty, equality, and fraternity. The motto comes from the declaration of the rights of man.  It is found on the front of all official buildings.

La Marseillaise
– The national anthem comes from a war chant created by French soldiers of Marseille to defend the revolution. The anthem was composed by Rouget de Lisle on April 25, 1792. Like the American national anthem, it is played at all major events and holidays.

It’s important to know the symbols of a country because they are the visual representations a country uses to represent their people, values, and history. They can also make you think about what symbols you use to represent yourself as an individual, what message you are projecting to the world.