French II - Quebec culture

French II – Culture de Québec

Guided Notes

The flag of Quebec

  • The flag of Quebec has a white cross on a blue background and has 4 white fleur-de-lis. It is nicknamed Fleurdelisé meaning with the fleur-de-lis.

The flag of Canada

  • The flag of Canada is red with a white square in the center. In the white square there is an 11-point red maple leaf It is often referred to as the maple leaf flag or l’Unifolié meaning the one-leafed.

Almanac

  • Name of the inhabitants: Quebeckers (Fr: Les Québécois)
  • Population: More than 540,000 inhabitants
  • Famous people: Marie-Claire Blais (writer), Yves Thériault (writer), Félix Leclerc (singer/songwriter), Guy Laliberté (co-founder of Cirque du Soleil) William Shatner (actor).
  • Economy : food industry, textiles, port traffic, tourism

Geography

  • Quebec City lies where the Saint Lawrence and Saint Charles rivers meet.
  • The historic district of the capital, Vieux Québec is divided into the Haute-Ville (Upper Town) and the Basse-Ville (Lower Town).
  • The fortified Haute-Ville sits on top of Cap Diamant (Cape Diamond), while Basse-Ville lies below and around the steep cliffs.

Battle of the Plains of Abraham

  • This decisive battle altered the course of Canadian history.
  • Up until 1759, the French had ruled over all of Canada, but after the British defeated them at Quebec City, they lost control of the colony to the British.
  • Today Les plains d’Abraham is a large park

Battle of Quebec

  • During the American Revolution the Americans attacked the British at Quebec City, hoping to bring the Canadians on their side of the war.
  • They were defeated, and the Canadians remained loyal to the British.

Quebec City

  • Quebec City is considered the cradle of French civilization in North America.
  • Although most of the inhabitants are bilingual, about 95% can claim French ancestry.

Hôtel de Glace – Ice Hotel

  • Tourists who visit Quebec City in the winter can stay in a hotel where everything is made of ice, even the beds.
  • About 350 tons of ice are used each winter to build the Ice Hotel, a huge structure covering 3,000 square meters, that melts in the spring.

La Chute Montmorency

  • Taller than Niagara Falls
  • Freezes in the winter and you can climb it

La place Royale

  • This is where Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City in 1608.

La terrasse Saint-Denis

  • This large promenade offers a beautiful view of the Saint Lawrence River.
  • It’s one of the meeting places of young Québécois.

Les fortifications

  • Quebec City is the only fortified city in North America.

Le Petit-Champlain

  • In this nice neighborhood, there are a lot of artist workshops, cafés, and boutiques.

Le Château Frontenac

  • The Châteaux (castles) in the Loire Valley in France inspired the architecture of this hotel.
  • It was built as a luxury hotel between 1893 and 1924 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as a stopover for its customers.
  • It was here that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King met during WWII to work out their countries’ strategies against Hitler.
  • Today it is considered the national symbol of Quebec.

La terrasse Dufferin

  • 425-meter boardwalk at the foot of the Château Frontenac that attracts crowds in all seasons.
  • In warmer months, people go there to take a leisurely walk, watch street performers, or meet their friends.
  • During the winter, people gather to skate at the outdoor ice rink or go sledding.

L’escalier Casse-Cou – Breakneck Steps

  • The stairs that join the Upper Town with the Lower Town are one of the architectural characteristics of Quebec.

Le musée de la Civilisation

  • Incorporates historic buildings in a modern ensemble to symbolize the link between the past and the present.
  • 20,000 square-meter contemporary building situated in the heart of Quebec City’s historical district.
  • Made of local materials, its roof, dormer windows, and steeples blend in with those of nearby houses and churches.

La maison Jacquet

  • The oldest house in the Upper Town. It has preserved its appearance from the 17th century with its attic roof and its small-paned windows.
  • Houses such as this one were built with the region’s harsh winters in mind. Their simplicity also reflects the lack of materials and labor available to early settlers.
  • Typical houses of the 17th century were rectangular and had two-sided, sloping roofs made of cedar shingles. They had few windows and one or two chimneys.

Les Grands Feux Loto-Québec

  • Takes place every summer in the Montmorency Falls Park
  • Several countries participate in this fireworks contest every July.

Le Festival d’été de Québec

  • Very important cultural event
  • International artists present music, dance, and animation performances.
  • Every July, francophone musicians present hundreds of free concerts during this festival. They play different types of music, ranging from pop and hip-hop to classical and traditional music.

Les fêtes de la Nouvelle-France

  • In the month of August, the Québécois dress in costumes from the 17th and 18th centuries and organize parades, balls, and performances to commemorate the beginning of the colony.

La cuisine traditionnelle

  • Served in restaurants in Old Quebec (Vieux-Québec) and resemble French cuisine.
  • Uses local products like game, dry vegetables, and maple syrup.

La poutine

  • Popular Québécois dish made of fries covered in cheddar cheese and gravy

Les desserts à l’érable

  • Maple syrup is present everywhere in Québécois cuisine, for example in its pastries.

Traditions

  • Le temps des sucres occurs each spring. Families spend the day at cabanes à sucre (sugar shacks) gathering sap from maple trees, making dishes such as soupe aux pois, omelettes dans le sirop, and tartlettes à l’érable, and folk dancing in the evening.

La rue du Trésor

  • In the summer, artists set up shop on this street to sell paintings and drawings.

La fresque des Québécois

  • Represents places characteristic of the city and also important characters from Quebec’s history.
  • Those that influenced both Canadian and world history include explorer Jacques Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, founder of Quebec City, and Louis Jolliet discoverer of the Mississippi.
  • Other figures of more local impact include Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, and defender of Quebec City against the British, Catherine de Longpré, an administrator at Quebec City’s first hospital, and Félix Leclerc, ‘the father’ of Québécois song.