Patricia explores the origin of the poisson d'avril (April Fools') tradition. There are numerous theories about this, some of them contradictory.

The first of April is the day of hoaxes, pranks, and jokes. In France, the tradition is to hang paper fish on people's backs and shout, "Poisson d'avril!" (April Fish!).

Patricia continues her series on the feast of Candlemas, which in France is centered around the crêpe. Due to its round shape and golden color, the crêpe was a symbol of the sun in pagan times.

Patricia delves into the festival of la Chandeleur, or Candlemas, which takes place on the second of February. In France, la Chandeleur is traditionally celebrated by eating crêpes.

In part two of this series, you will learn about the political climate during the 2017 French presidential elections. You will also learn the prerequisites for being able to vote in France.

Patricia takes the opportunity to explain how the French presidential elections work. The vote happens in two stages. In the first round, voters choose from several candidates, and in the second round, they pick the president from the top two scoring candidates of the first round.

Lionel concludes his series on Nuit Debout. The protest movement, expressing discontent with politics in general, is spreading. Lawyers have joined the fight, and the attitudes of the media and politicians toward the movement are slowly shifting.

In part two of "Nuit Debout" (Up All Night), Lionel explains how protesters gather every night at Place de la République in Paris to think of alternative politics for a better world. The "Nuit Debout" movement has its own coded language and even its own calendar!

Joanna is proud to show us her neighborhood. Follow her around her new apartment, her favorite bar, the pretty little garden where children love to play, and learn some useful everyday vocabulary.

Human rights are an important world issue, and children's rights are no exception. In this Yabla exclusive, Marie and Sakhoura list the key points of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

At Les Jardins de Sophia (Sophia's Gardens), a new, non-medicinal approach to treating Alzheimer's patients is giving hope to their families and being noticed by medical authorities.

Volunteer Fanny Cardot presents TransForme, an association that promotes organ donation through sport. Happy to hear about the good work TransForme is doing? Don't forget to register as a donor!

In the wake of a deadly terrorist attack on a Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt on New Year’s Day, many Coptic Christians are worried about celebrating Christmas (observed on January 6) as openly as they would like. Here is how a gorgeous Coptic church in Marseille is handling the situation.

Good news for lovers of luxury footwear—but even more so for the work force of the French town Romans: the factory of designer brand Charles Jourdan will reopen its doors (after being forced to close several months prior) thanks to an investment from a Costa Rican firm.

Guy Bouard, a house painter by trade, also happens to be the official double of President Nicolas Sarkozy. Among his duties: balancing the budget (in a coin jar) and meeting with agricultural experts (some sheep). He may be more popular than the President!