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Lesson Transcript

Grandmother's Day
In French, it’s called Fête des grands-mères.
Do you celebrate Grandmother’s Day in your country? In France, it’s an annual holiday celebrated on the first Sunday in March by grandchildren, or petits-enfants, in honor of their grandmothers. In this lesson, we’re going to learn how French people celebrate Grandmother’s Day!
Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question?
There was a survey in France that was answered by grandmothers. The survey asked them to answer what the most important thing in their life was. Do you know the answer?
If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit laterSo keep listening.
Grandmother’s Day has a purely commercial origin. It was created by a brand of coffee called “Grandmother’s Day” in 1987. Since then, in France, our foremothers have been celebrated on the first Sunday of March. Throughout the years the holiday has become more and more popular, leading to workshops in schools and promotional campaigns. Since then, it’s been added to some French calendars and mentioned in the press, and has become well-known nationwide.
Children create gifts for their grandmothers at school even in kindergarten. It’s also an occasion for French families to gather. In French, a “family gathering” is called réunion de famille. When they gather, grandchildren give gifts to their grandmothers. The most popular presents are bouquets of flowers, or bouquets de fleurs, and plants such as orchids, or orchidées in French. A study carried out by French florists showed that the holiday had a significant impact on the sale of indoor plants.
You may be surprised to learn, though, that grandfathers, or grands-pères, are completely forgotten on the calendar! “Grandfather’s Day” doesn’t exist, only Grandmother’s Day.
Now it's time to answer our quiz question!
In France, there are more than 6 million grandmothers. Grandmothers are on average 65 years old and have 4 grandchildren. In the survey, 80% of them said the most important thing in their life is their grandchildren.
How was this lesson? Did you learn anything interesting?
Does your country have any special days for grandparents?
Please leave a comment telling us at FrenchPod101.com, and we’ll see you next time!

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