La rentrée

La rentrée (des classes) in September each year is not only the time when French children and teachers go back to school; it is also the time when political and social life begins again after the long summer break. The expression "à la rentrée" is thus not restricted to an educational context, but can refer in general to the renewed activity that takes place throughout the country in the autumn.

Le Baccalauréat

The "bac", as it is popularly known, is the school leaving examination all French schoolchildren take in their final year at the "lycée". Before beginning their baccalauréat studies, pupils choose a specialization known as a "série", represented by an initial letter: a "bac" with a scientific bias is known as a "bac S" (for "scientifique") while an arts-oriented "bac" is referred to as a "bac L" (for "littéraire"), for example. When the word "bac" is followed by a plus sign and a number, this refers to the number of years of formal study completed since obtaining the baccalauréat qualification: "bac" + 3 refers to the "licence" or equivalent, "bac" + 4 to the "maîtrise", etc. These abbreviations are often used in job advertisements to indicate the level qualification required.

La " BD"

The bande dessinée or BD enjoys a huge following in France and Belgium amongst adults as well as children. The strip cartoon is accorded both literary and artistic status, and is known as "le neuvième art". An international strip cartoon festival takes place in the French town of Angoulême at the end of January each year.

Les "boules"

This popular French game takes several forms, including which originated in the South of France, and "boule lyonnaise" from Lyons. The idea of the game is to throw steel balls towards a small wooden ball called the "cochonnet", if necessary knocking one's opponent's boules out of the way in the process. The winner is the player who finishes closest to the "cochonnet".

The Collège de France establishment in that it neither organizes examinations nor confers diplomas. Professors at this prestigious place of learning are appointed by the French President and give lectures that are open to all. Collège de France professors in recent times have included such major intellectual figures as Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault and Claude Lévi-Strauss.

La Comédie Française

This historic theatre company, also known as "le Théâtre-Français" just "le Français", is particularly famous for its association with Molière. It was founded in 1680. It has a mainly classical repertoire, though contemporary plays are also staged. Members of the company belong to a traditional hierarchy of "sociétaires" and "pensionnaires". The theatre itself, known as "la salle Richelieu", is part of the "Palais-Royal".