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NPDC traditions - Traditions du Nord-Pas-De-Calais Traditions in the north of France
Les terrils :
Vestiges of the intense mining activity in the region, those "black hills" totally belong to the landscape. If you get Lille from Paris by train or above all by car, you cannot miss one of the most beautiful examples of terrils in Europe. The highest "terril" in Europe takes place in Loos-en-Gohelle, near Lens. Colonized by an amazing fauna and flora, it is a testimony of the past of our region; and now climbing one of them is a typical touristic activity.
L’estaminet :
What a strange word ! In the dictionnary, it is translated as being a “small café”... But it is more than that ! In full of small towns in the flemish countryside or even in cities like Lille, the “estaminets” are the perfect place to meet the deep spirit of the north of France. You can taste delicious and unknown beers, you can eat the famous “carbonade flamande” and you can also discover typical traditional flemish games... In fact, the perfect place to soak the unique atmosphere of the Nord-Pas-De-Calais up.
La baraques à frites:
Maybe one of the strangest thing you can find in Lille’s region; even people from Paris are surprised to find those kind of small vans set in the middle of the main square in almost each city. Eating a “cornet de frites” (= french fries) and walking in the streets is a tradition shared with the Belge poeple. Just try it !
Les bières:
The north of Paris is the “beer corner” of France (we don’t have vineyard, so we need to adapt ourselves). Belgium and the Netherlands are also very close to Lille, so you can easily understand why you have a terrific choice of different beers in pubs. Many breweries can be visited in all the region, mainly between Lille and Dunkerque.
La ducasse:
To honour their saint, people of each city (even the smallest ones) organized a traditional party in which accordion was played and traditional games were accessible. It was the most important event in dozens of towns, in Belgium as well. Now it exists with a most “modern” atmosphere. The word “ducasse” is still used in the north of France to qualify a “fun fair”.
Our accent....
For sure, you have noticed we don’t speak the “same french” in Lille or in Marseille... That’s a bit true because added to our rough accent, we can use some specifical words; words ununderstandable by other french people.
Let’s try to listen to us !
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