The culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting predominantly from the shared history of the French-speaking North American majority in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. Québécois culture, as a whole, constitutes all distinctive traits – spiritual, material, intellectual and affective – that characterize Québécois society. This term encompasses the arts, literature, institutions and traditions created by Québécois, as well as the collective beliefs, values and lifestyle of Québécois. It is a culture of the

Western World The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...

. Quebec is the only region in North America with a French-speaking majority, as well as one of only two provinces in Canada where French is a constitutionally recognized official language. As of 2006, 79% of all Quebecers list French as their mother tongue; since French is the official language in the province, up to 95% of all residents speak French. The 2001 census showed the population to be 90.3 percent Christian (in contrast to 77 percent for the whole country) with 83.4 percent

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

(including 83.2 percent Roman Catholic). History made Quebec a place where people can experience North America, but from the point of view of a linguistic minority surrounded by a larger English-speaking culture. This enclaved status has pushed many in Quebec to favour cultural protectionism, which can be seen in efforts such as the adoption of laws like of the Charter of the French Language and the creation of government institutions like the

Office québécois de la langue française The (, OQLF; ) is an agency of the Quebec provincial government charged with ensuring legislative requirements with respect to the right to use French are respected. Established on 24 March 1961 by the Liberal government of Jean Lesage, the ...

. The ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'' describes contemporary Quebec political culture as a post-1960s phenomenon resulting from the

Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution () was a period of socio-political and socio-cultural transformation in French Canada, particularly in Quebec, following the 1960 Quebec general election. This period was marked by the secularization of the government, the ...

, an essentially homogeneous socially liberal counter-culture phenomenon supported and financed by both of Quebec's major political parties, who differ essentially not in a right-vs-left continuum but a

federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

-vs- sovereignty/separatist continuum. The Quiet Revolution also turned Quebec from the most religious province into the most secular. Quebec has been strongly influenced by

Early modern France The Kingdom of France in the early modern period, from the French Renaissance, Renaissance () to the French Revolution, Revolution (1789–1804), was a monarchy ruled by the House of Bourbon (a Capetian dynasty, Capetian cadet branch). This corr ...

as it was part of

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

. Interactions with France today can also be impactful . The province has been strongly influenced by British culture as a result of the Conquest of New France and subsequent centuries spent as part of the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

and under the British monarchy. Quebec has received a

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

influence because of past immigrants from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. English-speaking Canadians (called ''"Anglais"'' or ''"Anglo"'') of other provinces, especially of nearby provinces like

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, as well as those inside Quebec, continue to influence Québécois today. Quebec is strongly influenced by

American culture The culture of the United States encompasses various social behaviors, institutions, and Social norm, norms, including forms of Languages of the United States, speech, American literature, literature, Music of the United States, music, Visual a ...

because of

geographical Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

and

affective Affect, in psychology, is the underlying experience of feeling, emotion, attachment, or mood. It encompasses a wide range of emotional states and can be positive (e.g., happiness, joy, excitement) or negative (e.g., sadness, anger, fear, dis ...

proximity. For historical and linguistic reasons, Quebec has cultural links with other North American French-speaking communities, particularly with the

Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...

s and

Franco-Ontarian Franco-Ontarians ( or if female, sometimes known as ''Ontarois'' and ''Ontaroises'') are Francophone Canadians that reside in the province of Ontario. Most are French Canadians from Ontario. In 2021, according to the Government of Ontario, ther ...

communities in

Eastern Ontario Eastern Ontario (census population 1,892,332 in 2021) () is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies a wedge-shaped area bounded by the Ottawa River and Quebec to the northeast and east, the St. Lawr ...

and

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on p ...

. Quebec has links -but to a lesser extent- to francophone communities in

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

, the

Cajun French Louisiana French (Louisiana French: ''français louisianais''; ) includes the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisiana French is primarily use ...

revival movements in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and the

French Antilles The French West Indies or French Antilles (, ; ) are the parts of France located in the Antilles islands of the Caribbean: * The two Overseas department and region of France, overseas departments of: ** Guadeloupe, including the islands of Bass ...

. Influences from

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

are reflected in Québécois activities including

snowshoeing Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

and

maple syrup Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Ma ...

production.

Heritage

The Cultural Heritage Fund is a program of the Quebec government for the conservation and development of Quebec's heritage, together with various laws. Several organizations ensure that same mission, both in the social and cultural traditions in the countryside and heritage buildings, including the ''Commission des biens culturels du Québec'', the Quebec Heritage Foundation, the Conservation Centre of Quebec, the Centre for development of living heritage, the Quebec Council of living heritage, the Quebec Association of heritage interpretation, etc. Several sites, houses and historical works reflect the cultural heritage of Quebec, such as the Village Québécois d'Antan, the historical village of

Val-Jalbert Val-Jalbert () is a ghost town in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada. It is located northwest of the town of Chambord, Quebec, Chambord. The village was founded in 1901 and soon saw success in the pulp mill created by Damase ...

, the Fort Chambly, the national home of the Patriots, the Chicoutimi pulp mill (Pulperie de Chicoutimi), the

Lachine Canal The Lachine Canal (, ) is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres (9 miles) from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine (borough), L ...

and the Victoria Bridge. Strongly influenced by the presence of the Catholic Church, the development of the religious history of Quebec is provided by organizations like the Council of the religious heritage of Quebec. Since 2007, the government promotes, with the various players in the field, the conclusion of agreements on the use of property belonging to episcopal factories and corporations to establish "''partnerships in financing the restoration and renovation of religious buildings''." As of December 2011, there are 190

National Historic Sites of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in Quebec. These sites were designated as being of national historic significance. Various museums tell the cultural history of Quebec, like the Museum of Civilization, the Museum of French America, the McCord Museum or the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History in Pointe-à-Callière, displaying artifacts, paintings and other remains from the past of Quebec. Many literary works reproduce the daily lives of the past, following the social and cultural traditions of Quebec television series reproducing the old days such as the trilogy of

Pierre Gauvreau Pierre Saint-Mars Gauvreau (23 August 1922 – 7 April 2011) was a Canadian painter and writer who also worked in film and television production. Career He was born in Montreal, and enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts de Montréal in 1937, ...

(''Le Temps d'une paix'', ''Cormoran'' and ''Le Volcan tranquille''), ''

La Famille Plouffe ''La famille Plouffe'' was a Canadian television drama, more specifically a téléroman, about a Quebec City family that first aired in the French language on Société Radio-Canada in 1953. The show was created to fill a void in francophone tel ...

'', '' Les Belles Histoires des Pays-d'en-Haut'', '' La Petite Patrie'', ''Entre chien et loup'', ''

Les Filles de Caleb ''Les Filles de Caleb'' is a Quebec TV series of 20 one-hour episodes, created by Jean Beaudin, based on the eponymous novel of Arlette Cousture,W.H. New. A History of Canadian Literature'. McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP; 6 August 2003. . p. 344– ...

'', ''Blanche'', ''Au nom du père et du fils'', ''Marguerite Volant'', ''Nos Étés'' or ''Musée Éden'', among others.

Folklore

In terms of folklore, Quebec's French-speaking populace has the second largest body of folktales in Canada (the first being Native people); most prominent within Quebec folklore are old parables and tales. Other forms of folklore include superstitions associated with objects, events, and dreams. The ''Association Quebecoise des Loisirs Folkloriques'' is an organization committed to preserving and disseminating Quebec's folklore heritage. It produces a number of publications and recordings, as well as sponsoring other activities. When the early settlers arrived from France in the 17th century, they brought with them popular tales from their homeland. Adapted to fit the traditions of rural Quebec by transforming the European hero into Ti-Jean, a generic rural habitant, they eventually spawned many other tales. Many were passed on through generations by what French speaking Québécois refer to as ''Les Raconteurs'', or storytellers. Almost all of the stories native to Quebec were influenced by

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

dogma Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...

and superstitions. The

Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

, for instance, appears often as either a person, an animal or monster, or indirectly through Demonic acts. Various tales and stories are told through oral tradition, such as, among many more, the legends of the '' Bogeyman'', the ''

Chasse-galerie ''La Chasse-galerie'', also known as "The Bewitched Canoe" or "The Flying Canoe", is a popular French-Canadian tale of lumberjacks from camps working around the Gatineau River who make a deal with the devil, a variant of the Wild Hunt. Its best-k ...

'', the ''Black Horse of Trois-Pistoles'', the ''Complainte de Cadieux'', the '' Corriveau'', the ''dancing devil of Saint-Ambroise'', the '' Giant Beaupré'', the ''monsters of the lakes Pohénégamook'' and '' Memphremagog'', of ''

Quebec Bridge The Quebec Bridge () is a road, rail, and pedestrian bridge across the lower Saint Lawrence River between Sainte-Foy, Quebec City, Sainte-Foy (a former suburb that in 2002 became the arrondissement Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge in Quebec Cit ...

'' (called the Devil's Bridge), the '' Rocher Percé'' and of ''Rose Latulipe'', for example.

Creative arts

Cinema

The

Cinémathèque québécoise The Cinémathèque québécoise () is a film conservatory in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its purpose is to preserve, document, film, and television footage and related documents and artifacts for future use by the public. The Cinémathèque's coll ...

has a mandate to promote the film and television heritage of Quebec. The

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

(NFB), a federal Crown corporation, provides for the same mission in Canada. The Association of Film and Television in Quebec (APFTQ) promotes independent production in film and television. Several movie theatres across Quebec ensure the dissemination of Quebec cinema. With its cinematic installations, such as the ''Cité du cinéma'' and ''Mel's'' studios, the city of

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

is home to the filming of various productions. The first public movie projection in North America occurred in

on June 27, 1896. Frenchman Louis Minier presented a film on a

Cinematograph Cinematograph or kinematograph is an early term for several types of motion picture film mechanisms. The name was used for movie cameras as well as film projectors, or for complete systems that also provided means to print films (such as the ...

in a Café-Theatre on Saint Lawrence Boulevard. However, it was not until the 1960s when the

was established that a genuine Quebec cinema industry would emerge. The 1970s were a "watershed" moment for Quebec films, when sophisticated themes and techniques were used by filmmakers such as Claude Jutra. Jutra's '' Mon Oncle Antoine'' (1971) has been assessed by some film critics as "one of Canada's greatest films".

Denys Arcand Georges-Henri Denys Arcand (; born June 25, 1941) is a Canadian filmmaker. During his four decades career, he became one of the most internationally-recognized director from Quebec, earning widespread acclaim and numerous accolades for his "inten ...

found success in the 1980s with ''

The Decline of the American Empire ''The Decline of the American Empire'' () is a 1986 Canadian sex comedy-Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Pierre Curzi and Dorothée Berryman. The film follows a group of intellectual fr ...

'' (1986) and ''

Jesus of Montreal ''Jesus of Montreal'' () is a 1989 Canadian comedy drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand, and starring Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening and Johanne-Marie Tremblay. The film tells the story of a group of actors in Montreal who pe ...

'' (1989). In 2004, an Arcand film, ''

The Barbarian Invasions ''The Barbarian Invasions'' () is a 2003 Canadian-French sex comedy-Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Denys Arcand and starring Rémy Girard, Stéphane Rousseau and Marie-Josée Croze. The film is a sequel to Arcand ...

'', won the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

. Jean-Claude Lauzon's films, such as '' Night Zoo (Un zoo la nuit)'' (1987) and ''

Léolo ''Léolo'' is a 1992 Canadian coming-of-age film, coming-of-age fantasy film, fantasy comedy-drama written and directed by Jean-Claude Lauzon. The film tells the story of a young boy named Léo "Léolo" Lauzon, played by Maxime Collin, who engages ...

'' (1992), gained traction with audiences and critics alike. C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) by Jean-Marc Vallée was successful at home and abroad.

Xavier Dolan Xavier Dolan-Tadros (; born 20 March 1989) is a Canadian filmmaker and actor. He began his career as a child actor in commercials before directing several arthouse feature films. He first received international acclaim in 2009 for his feature ...

attracted audience and critical attention with '' I Killed My Mother'' (2009) and subsequent films. Quebec films have gained recognition through multiple nominations for the

in recent years; '' Incendies'' (2010) by

Denis Villeneuve Denis Villeneuve Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, OAL (; ; born October 3, 1967) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He has received seven Canadian Screen Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards, five BAFTA Awards, and two ...

, '' Monsieur Lazhar'' (2011) by Philippe Falardeau, and '' War Witch'' (2012) by Kim Nguyen. Important contributions to world cinema include Cinéma vérité and artistic animation.

Circus arts

Quebec has carved a niche for itself in the field of

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

arts, where it emphasizes the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an tradition of circus. Several circus troupes were created in recent decades, most notably the

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

. Its productions include ''

Varekai Varekai was a Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montréal in April 2002. Its title means "wherever" in the Romani language, and the show is an "acrobatic tribute to the nomadic soul". The show begins with the Greek myth of ...

'', ''

Dralion ''Dralion'' (pronounced Drah-lee-on) was a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combined elements of traditional Chinese variety art, Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing th ...

'', '' Alegría'', '' Corteo'', ''KOOZA'', '' Quidam'', '' Kà'', ''

Zumanity ''Zumanity'' (zoo-manity) was a resident cabaret-style show by Cirque du Soleil at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, placed into the theatre previously occupied by Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance (musical). The pro ...

'', ''

Love Love is a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment (psychology), attachment to a person, animal, or thing. It is expressed in many forms, encompassing a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most su ...

'', '' Mystère'' and '' O'' (which is performed on a water platform). It is one of the world's few circuses without animal performers. Other internationally successful troupes include Cirque Éloize and Cirque ÉOS. Presented outdoors under a tent or in venues similar to the Montreal Casino, the circuses attract large crowds both in Quebec and abroad. In the manner of touring companies of the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, the

clown A clown is a person who performs physical comedy and arts in an Improvisational theatre#Comedy, open-ended fashion, typically while wearing distinct cosmetics, makeup or costume, costuming and reversing social norm, folkway-norms. The art of ...

s, street performers,

minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist enter ...

s, or

troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

s travel from city to city to play their comedies. Although they may appear randomly from time to time during the year, they are always visible in the cultural events such as the Winterlude in Gatineau, the Quebec Winter Carnival, the

Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival The Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival () is an annual festival held in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, and organized by a not-for-profit organization, during which hot air balloons of every shape and colour are flown and where 300 shows and performanc ...

, the Quebec City Summer Festival, the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal and the Festival of New France in Quebec. The National Circus School and the ''École de cirque de Québec'' were created to train future

Contemporary circus Contemporary circus (or ''cirque contemporain'' in French-speaking countries) is a contested term in circus studies. In this article, it is used in contrast to the term 'traditional circus', combining with the genre elsewhere disambiguated as ne ...

artists. For its part, '' Tohu, la Cité des Arts du Cirque'' was founded in 2004 to disseminate the circus arts. Cavalia, a

Shawinigan Shawinigan (; ) is a city located on the Saint-Maurice River in the Mauricie area in Quebec, Canada. It had a population of 49,620 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Shawinigan is also a territory equivalent to a regional county municipality (TE) ...

-based horse show, has, since 2003, gained massive popularity in Montreal and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. It features both acrobatic and equestrian arts. All of the horses are male, most of which are stallions.

Comic strips

Comic books in Quebec traditionally follow the

an tradition of comics, combining both

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

. Though most are aimed at children, they are generally considered more dignified entertainment and there are many notable exceptions of graphic novels and comic books aimed at an older reading audience, such as the ones published by the Montreal-based Drawn & Quarterly, Les 400 coups, and La Pastèque.

Dance

Traditional music is imbued with many dances, such as the jig, the

quadrille The quadrille is a dance that was fashionable in late 18th- and 19th-century Europe and its colonies. The quadrille consists of a chain of four to six ''Contra dance, contredanses''. Latterly the quadrille was frequently danced to a medley of ope ...

, the reel and line dancing. Classical dance in Quebec took root after World War II. Les Ballets Quebec (1948–51) was a short-lived ballet corps founded by Gérald Crevier. Les Grands Ballets Canadiens was founded in 1959, and gained an international reputation. Le Groupe de la Place Royale (1966) was the first modern dance company in Quebec, eventually moving to Ottawa in 1977. Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire (1968–1982) was the second modern dance company, also established in Montreal. During the 1980s, modern dance groups La La La Human Steps and O Vertigo became internally known. Choreographer

Margie Gillis Margie Gillis (born July 9, 1953) is a Canadians, Canadian dancer and choreographer. Gillis has been creating original works of modern dance for over thirty-five years. Her repertoire includes more than one hundred pieces, which she performs as ...

has established a successful career across Canada and internationally.

Comedy

Comedy is a vast cultural sector. Quebec has created and is home to several different comedy festivals, including the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, as well as the Grand Rire festivals of Quebec, Gatineau and Sherbrooke. The ''Association des professionnels de l'industrie de l'humour'' (APIH) is the main organization for the promotion and development of the cultural sector of humour in Quebec and the , created in 1988, trains future comedians in Quebec. The Ligue nationale d'improvisation (LNI), created in 1977, promotes a number of comedians by combining humour with improvisation theater. The , in honour of the former humorist Olivier Guimond, rewards the personalities of Quebec comedy. The National School of humour (École nationale de l'humour) was created in 1988 to form the next generations of Quebec comedians. Many popular Québécois comedy shows exist, such as ''Cré Basile, Le zoo du Capitaine Bonhomme, Lundi des Ha! Ha !, Démons du midi, La petite vie, Les Bougon, Le sketch show, etc''. There are also many comedy and cartoon shows for children, such as ''La boîte à surprise, Bobino, Le pirate Maboule, Fanfreluche, La Ribouldingue, Les 100 Tours de Centour, Patofville, Passe-Partout, Robin et Stella,

Iniminimagimo ''Iniminimagimo'' was a French language children's television show made in Quebec. It played in the late 1980s. Each episode featured a classic fairy tale played by the same cast. Script writers for the series included Linda Wilscam, Marie-Franci ...

, Vazimolo, Télé-Pirate,

Bibi et Geneviève ''Bibi et Geneviève'' was a children's show made in Québec in the late 1980s through the early 1990s. It chronicled the adventures of the green-haired extraterrestrial Bibi Z99944X (a puppet) and his friend Geneviève (a live actress). The show ...

, Watatatow,

Caillou ''Caillou'' ( ; , stylized in lowercase) is an animated educational children's television series that aired on Teletoon (both English and French versions) with the first episode airing on the former channel on September 15, 1997 until the fou ...

, Cornemuse, Macaroni tout garni, Toc toc toc, Ramdam, Tactik, etc.'' Several prominent Quebec artists and humorous groups are known nationally and internationally, such as Rose Ouellette (known as ''La Poune''), Juliette Petrie, Stéphane Rousseau, François Pérusse, Gilles Latulippe, Yvon Deschamps, Marc Favreau (famous for his character of ''Sol'', a hobo clown), Michael Noël (and the character of ''Capitaine Bonhomme''), Jacques Desrosiers (performer of the famous clown Patof), Serge Thériault and Claude Meunier (as ''Ding et (and) Dong''), Les Grandes Gueules, Lise Dion, Jean-Michel Anctil, Martin Matte, Garihanna Jean-Louis and Louis-José Houde, to name only a few. Some humorous programs are or were also popular such as ''Cré Basile'', ''Le Zoo du Capitaine Bonhomme'', ''Lundi des Ha! Ha!'' (Monday, Ha! Ha!), ''Démons du midi'' (Midday Devils), '' La Petite Vie'', '' Les Bougon'', and '' The sketch show (Quebec version)''. A famous show called '' Bye-Bye'', broadcast each year on December 31, was a funny way to review the year just completed and laugh about any news (political or not) that happened that year. ''Le Poisson D'Avril'' ( April Fools) is an old French tradition involving sticking fish (usually paper ones) on people's back without their knowledge. It dates back to 1564, and is still to this day a tradition in Quebec. Now, in most other parts of the world, people play pranks on each other instead of the fish custom. Prior to the modern Quebec sovereignty movement, many citizens of Quebec decided to express their dissatisfaction with federal elections by forming the Rhinoceros Party of Canada. The party fielded humorous candidates in many ridings with a satirical platform. They added colour to many otherwise drab elections for more than two decades. Children also have their comedy and

animated cartoon Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

s such as ''The Surprise Box'', Bobino, ''Le Pirate Maboule'', Fanfreluche, the ''Ribouldingue'', Les 100 tours de Centour, '' Patofville'', Passe-Partout, Robin et Stella,

, ''Vazimolo'', ''Tele-Pirate'',

, Watatatow,

, ''Cornemuse'', ''Macaroni tout garni'', ''Toc toc toc'', ''Ramdam'', ''Tactik'' and many more.

Literature

Early literature

The first literary output from Quebec occurred under the regime of

, with the many poems written by the early inhabitants, as well as histories. It was, however, during the 19th century that Quebec novels were first published. The first Quebecois novel was written by Philippe Aubert de Gaspé in 1837, titled ''Le chercheur de trésor'' or ''L'influence d'un livre''. The period 1895 to 1930 saw a rapid growth in French literature in Quebec, and writers were heavily influenced by poetry and novels from Paris. Prominent Quebec writers of this period include Émile Nelligan,

Victor Barbeau Victor Barbeau, (18 August 1894 – 19 July 1994) was a Quebec writer and academic. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Barbeau was educated at Collège Sainte-Marie, Université Laval, and University of Paris. From 1925 to 1963, he was a professor at HE ...

, Paul Morin, Guy Delahaye, René Dugas,

René Chopin René (''Born again (Christianity), born again'' or ''reborn'' in French language, French) is a common given name, first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is th ...

, Charles Ignace Adélard Gill, Jean-Aubert Loranger,

Arthur de Bussières Arthur de Bussières (January 20, 1877 – May 7, 1913) was a Canadian poet from Montreal, Quebec.

, Albert Lozeau,

Robert Choquette Robert Guy Choquette (; April 22, 1905 – January 22, 1991) was a Canadian novelist, poet and diplomat. He was born in Manchester, New Hampshire, and he moved with his family to Montreal in 1914. In 1968, he was appointed Canada's ambassa ...

Albert Dreux Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mark ...

, Gonzalve Desaulniers, Lionel Léveillé, Robert de Roquebrune, and Léo d'Yril.

''Roman du terroir'' (1900–1960)

After 1900, Quebecois writers explored regional and ethnic identity in what has become called the '' roman du terroir'' (English: novel of the homestead, or from the land) movement. Writers who can be placed within the ''terroir'' framework include

Camille Roy Camille Roy may refer to: * Camille Roy (politician) * Camille Roy (literary critic) {{hndis, Roy, Camille ...

, Adjutor Rivard,

Frère Marie-Victorin Brother (Christian), Brother Marie-Victorin, Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, F.S.C. (; April 3, 1885 – July 15, 1944), was a Canadians, Canadian member of Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Brothers of ...

, Louis Hémon, Lionel Groulx,

Alfred Desrochers Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *'' Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interl ...

, Albert Laberge, Blanche Lamontagne-Beauregard, Henriette Dessaulles, Germaine Guèvremont,

Damase Potvin Damase Potvin (born October 16, 1882 – 1964) was a writer and journalist born in Bagotville (city), Bagotville, Saguenay, Quebec. He is the son of Charles Potvin and Julie Hudon. Biography He obtained his Baccalauréat ès arts (Québec), ba ...

, Albert Ferland, Adélard Dugré, Pamphile Lemay,

Ulric Gingras Ulric is an English language, masculine given name. It is regarded as both a derivative of the Old English male name Wulfric (disambiguation), Wulfric and, in later English language contexts, also derived from the separate name Ulrich, which origina ...

, Alphonse Désilets, Nérée Beauchemin and Rodolphe Girard. The ''roman du terroir'' style of novel continued its popularity during the era sometimes called " La grande noirceur" (the great darkness), during the premiership of Maurice Duplessis, a time of extreme social and political conservatism in the province. Other types of novels developed during the 1940s and 1950s, such as the ''roman de moeurs urbaines'' (novel of urban mores), as exemplified by the writing of

Gabrielle Roy Gabrielle Roy (; March 22, 1909July 13, 1983) was a Canadian author from St. Boniface, Manitoba and one of the major figures in French Canadian literature. Early life Roy was born in 1909 in Saint-Boniface (now part of Winnipeg), Manitoba, an ...

, Ringuet, and

Roger Lemelin Roger Lemelin, (April 7, 1919 – March 16, 1992) was a Quebec novelist, television writer and essayist. Biography Lemelin was born in Quebec City. From 1944 to 1952, he was a Canadian correspondent for the American magazines ''Time'' and ...

. Another development in the novel was the ''roman psychologique'' ( psychological novel), showing the inner turmoil of a character who cannot live "within the colonized society that values religion, family, and a mythic past". In the meantime, English-language writers from Quebec became prominent in Canada. Writers of this period include Claude-Henri Grignon, Félix-Antoine Savard, Ringuet, Anne Hébert, Saint-Denys Garneau,

Alain Grandbois Alain Grandbois, (May 25, 1900 – March 18, 1975) was a Canadian Quebecer poet, considered the first great modern one. Traveling around the world in 1918-1939 and sharing the hopes and problems of contemporary man, his work combined the th ...

, Rina Lasnier, Clément Marchand,

Yves Thériault Yves Thériault OC (November 27, 1915 – October 20, 1983) was a Canadian author. He was born in Quebec City to Alcide and Aurore (Nadeau) Thériault. On April 21, 1942, he married Germaine Blanchet, with whom he had two children, Marie-José ...

, Félix Leclerc, Isabelle Legris, Claire Martin, Francis Reginald Scott,

Jean-Charles Harvey Jean-Charles and Jean-Carles is a French masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jean Charles, Chevalier Folard (1669–1752), French soldier and military author * Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand (1817–1891), French engineer * ...

, A.M. Klein, Irving Layton, Léo-Paul Desrosiers, André Langevin,

Gérard Bessette Gérard Bessette (25 February 1920 – 21 February 2005) was a Canadian writer and educator. Bessette was born in Sainte-Anne-de-Sabrevois, Quebec, and grew up in Montreal. He attended the Collège Saint-Ignace. He continued his studies at th ...

, Gratien Gélinas,

Marcel Dubé Marcel Dubé (January 3, 1930 – April 7, 2016) was a Canadian playwright. He produced over 300 works for radio, television, and stage. During his career he promoted the preservation and sanctity of the French language in Quebec. __TOC__ Early ...

, Paul-Émile Borduas, Robert Élie,

Robert Charbonneau Robert Charbonneau (February 3, 1911 – June 26, 1967) was a French-Canadian journalist, writer, and literary critic. Biography Charbonneau was born in Montreal. He began his studies at Ecole Saint-Stanislas in 1919 and continued his classical s ...

, André Giroux,

Claude Gauvreau Claude Gauvreau (August 19, 1925 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada – July 7, 1971 in Montreal) was a playwright, poet, sound poet, and polemicist. He was a member of the radical Automatist movement and a contributor to the revolutionary Refus Glob ...

Rex Desmarchais Rex or REX may refer to: * Rex (title) (Latin: king, ruler, monarch), a royal title ** King of Rome (Latin: Rex Romae), chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom Animals Dogs * Rex (Ronald Reagan's dog) * Rex (search and rescue dog), a dog that ...

Gilles Hénault The Gilles are the oldest and principal participants in the Carnival of Binche in Belgium. They go out on Shrove Tuesday from 4 a.m. until late hours and dance to traditional songs. Other cities, such as Ressaix, Leval-Trahegnies, Leval, Buvrin ...

, and Jean Le Moyne. Among the well-known literary works produced in Quebec at this time were two cultural and political manifestos,

Prisme d'yeux ''Prisme'' is the third studio album by Norwegian Hardanger fiddle, Hardanger fiddler and nyckelharpa player Annbjørg Lien. Released internationally on 25 October 1996 through the Norwegian Grappa label (Grappa Musikkforlag #GRCD 4113), it was re ...

(1948) and Refus global (1948), early indications of the beginning of the

in Quebec.

Quiet Revolution (1960–1970)

The Quiet Revolution began in earnest during the 1960s. The expression of Quebecois identity, or even nationalist sentiment, shaped much of Quebecois literature in the period 1960 to 1970. The Cold War, the feminist movement, the influence of the United States' "

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...

", the concerns of the

baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of births. This demography, demographic phenomenon is usually an ascribed characteristic within the population of a specific nationality, nation or culture. Baby booms are caused by various ...

generation, and other cultural developments sweeping the Western world during the era also permeated the works of Quebec writers. Writers of the Quiet Revolution era include Gaston Miron,

Réjean Ducharme Réjean Ducharme (August 12, 1941 – August 21, 2017) was a Canadian writer, novelist and playwright who resided in Montreal. He was known for his reclusive personality and did not appear at any public functions since his first successful bo ...

, Hubert Aquin, Marie-Claire Blais, Jacques Ferron,

Jacques Poulin Jacques Poulin (; born 23 September 1937 in Saint-Gédéon, Quebec) is a Canadian novelist with a quiet and intimate style of writing. Poulin studied psychology and arts at the Université Laval in Quebec City; he started his career as commercial ...

, Roch Carrier, Georges Dor, Jacques Godbout, Michel Tremblay,

Jacques Renaud Jacques Renaud (13 December 1923 – 2 January 2020) was a French racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, ...

, Victor-Lévy Beaulieu,

André Major André Major (born April 22, 1942) is a Canadian writer from Quebec.André Major
The Canad ...

, Jacques Brault,

Paul-Marie Lapointe Paul-Marie is a French masculine given name, and may refer to: * Paul-Marie Boulanger (born 1950), Belgian sociologist * Paul-Marie Coûteaux (born 1956), French politician * Paul-Marie Delaunay (1878–1958), French physician and historian * Paul- ...

, Gatien Lapointe, Paul Chamberland, Fernand Ouellette, Roland Giguère, Alphonse Piché, Jean-Guy Pilon, Françoise Loranger, Jean-Claude Germain,

Jean Barbeau Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

Michel Garneau Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

, Fernand Dumont, Pierre Vadeboncœur, Pierre Vallières, Jean Bouthillette. Also writing during this era were Mavis Gallant,

Denis Vanier Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris Denis of Paris (Latin: Dionysius) was a 3rd-century Christian martyr and saint. According to his hagiographies, he was bishop of Paris (then Lutetia) in the third century and, together with his ...

, Michèle Lalonde, Lucien Francoeur,

Patrick Straram Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...

, Gérald Godin, Michel Beaulieu, Nicole Brossard, Pierre Morency, Marcel Bélanger,

Hélène Brodeur Hélène Brodeur (July 13, 1923 – August 15, 2010) was a Franco-Ontarian educator, journalist and writer. The daughter of Joseph Brodeur and Marie-Ange Turcotte, she was born in Saint-Léon-de-Val-Racine in Quebec's Eastern Townships and g ...

, Claude Jasmin,

Gilles Archambault Gilles Archambault (born September 19, 1933 in Montreal, Quebec) is a francophone novelist from Quebec, Canada. He studied at the Université de Montréal in 1957, and then worked at Radio-Canada, while working as a journalist. From 1988 to 19 ...

, Gilbert La Rocque,

Jean-Pierre Ronfard Jean-Pierre Ronfard (January 14, 1929 - September 23, 2003) was a France, French-born Canada, Canadian actor, playwright and theatre director from Quebec,Gaetan Charlebois"Ronfard, Jean-Pierre" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', November 22, 2020. m ...

, Normand Chaurette,

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, Jean Éthier-Blais, Yves Beauchemin, and André Loiselet.

Post-modernism and today

After 1970, themes and techniques of post-modernism began to influence much of Quebec's literature. Writers prominent from 1970 onward include

Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are ''The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (novel), The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and ''Barney's Version (novel), Barney's Versi ...

, Nicole Brossard,

Louky Bersianik Louky Bersianik (14 November 1930 – 3 December 2011) was the pen name of Lucile Durand, a French-Canadian novelist. She studied French literature at the Université de Montréal, the University of Paris, Sorbonne, and the Centre d'études de ra ...

, France Théoret, Madeleine Gagnon, Denise Boucher, François Charron,

Claude Beausoleil Claude Beausoleil (16 November 1948 – 24 July 2020) was a Canadian writer, poet, and essayist. Biography Beausoleil studied literature at the Université du Québec à Montréal and earned a master's degree with a thesis on Hubert Aquin. He the ...

Yolande Villemaire Yolande Villemaire (born 28 August 1949 in Mirabel, Quebec) is a Canadian novelist, short story writer and poet. She obtained a Bachelor in theater (1970) and a master's degree in letters (1974) from the Université du Québec à Montréal, Unive ...

, Marie Uguay,

Roger Desroches Roger is a masculine given name, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic languages">Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") ...

, Gaétan Brulotte, Jean-Yves Collette, Daniel Gagnon, Michel Khalo,

François Ricard François Ricard (4 June 1947 – 17 February 2022) was a Canadian writer and academic from Quebec.Marie José Thériault, André Belleau, and

Claudine Bertrand Claudine Bertrand (born 4 July 1948) is a Quebec educator and poet. Life Bertrand was born in Montreal and studied at the Université du Québec à Montréal, where she received a Master's degree in literary studies. Bertrand taught literature ...

. Popular French-language contemporary writers of the late 20th and early 21st century include

Louis Caron Louis Caron (born July 21, 1942) is a Canadians, Canadian journalist and writer from Quebec. He is most noted for his novels ''The Draft Dodger (L'Emmitouflé)'', which won the Prix Québec-Paris in 1977, ''Le canard de bois'', which was a finalist ...

, Suzanne Jacob, Yves Beauchemin, and

. English-language writers of Quebec include David Homel,

Neil Bissoondath Neil Devindra Bissoondath (born 19 April 1955, in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago) is a Trinidadian-Canadian author who lives in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. He is a noted writer of fiction. He is an outspoken critic of Canada's system of multicultura ...

and Yann Martel. An association, the Quebec Writers' Federation, promotes English-language literature of Quebec and gives out an annual prize to Quebec writers. English-language literature from Quebec is sometimes classified under English-Canadian literature. Literature has been produced in other minority languages in Quebec, such as

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

(including an active Yiddish theatre scene in Montreal during the early to mid-20th century), and indigenous aboriginal languages.

Music

The traditional

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

of Quebec has two main influences: the traditional songs of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and the influence of

Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celts (modern), Celtic people of Northwestern Europe (the modern Celtic nations). It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and ...

, with reels and songs that show a definite affinity with the traditional music of Canada's

Maritime Provinces The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...

, and

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. Various instruments are more popular in Quebec's culture: harmonica (music-of-mouth or lip-destruction),

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

spoons Spoons may refer to: * Spoon, a utensil commonly used with soup * Spoons (card game), the card game of Donkey, but using spoons Film and TV * ''Spoons'' (TV series), a 2005 UK comedy sketch show *Spoons, a minor character from ''The Sopranos' ...

jaw harp The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or Reed (mouthpiece), reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most like ...

and

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

. The '' podorythmie'' is a characteristic of traditional Quebec music and means giving the rhythm with the feet. This traditional music is becoming increasingly more popular, with the success of groups such as La Bottine Souriante. From Quebec's musical repertoire, the song '' À la claire fontaine'' was the anthem of the

, Patriots and

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

, then replaced by '' O Canada''. Currently, the song '' Gens du pays'' is by far preferred by many Quebecers to be the national anthem of Quebec. Quebec has also produced world-class classical music over the years, such as the

Montreal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra () is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. History Several orchestras were precursor ensembles to the curren ...

(MSO), founded in 1934. Under the direction of Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit from 1977 to 2002, the MSO gained a truly international reputation. Montreal is also home to the Orchestre Métropolitain, the

Orchestre de la Francophonie The Orchestre de la Francophonie is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal. It was founded in as temporary orchestra to play at the 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie (Francophone Games) in Canada. However, it went on to become a permanent orche ...

, the

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

ensemble

Arion Arion (; ) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant of Corinth. Although notable for his mu ...

, the all-female ensemble La Pietà, created by violinist Angèle Dubeau, to name but a few;

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

is home to the Violons du Roy under the direction of Bernard Labadie and the Orchestre symphonique de Québec under the direction of Yoav Talmi. Quebec has a number of classical music festivals, such as the Festival de Lanaudière, Festival Orford

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

festival held at the Orford Art Centre, and where the ensemble the

Orford String Quartet The Orford String Quartet was a Canadian string quartet active from 1965 through 1991. They came to be the leading string quartet in Canada, and were well-known internationally. Founding In 1951, Gilles Lefebvre launched a summer music camp for Le ...

was first formed. Classical music aficionados can attend performances in a number of concert halls.

Salle Wilfrid Pelletier Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier is a large multipurpose venue in Montreal, Quebec equipped with sophisticated technical equipment. It seats 2,996 people and is part of the Place des Arts cultural complex in Montréal's Quartier des Spectacles entertainmen ...

at the Place des Arts cultural centre in the heart of Montreal is home to the MSO. Montreal's

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

also houses three concert halls:

Pollack Hall Pollack may refer to: * Pollack (surname), a surname (and list of people with the name) * Pollack (fish) or pollock * Pollack (card game), a German card game resembling Tresette * Pollack (Martian crater) * Sei whale or pollack whale See also

Tanna Schulich Hall Tanna may refer to: Places * Tanna (island), an island in Vanuatu * Tanna, Germany, a city in Thuringia * Tanna, former name of city of Thane in India People * Tanna, singular form of tannaim, a Rabbinic sage recorded in the Mishna * Tanna, a la ...

and Redpath Hall. The

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (; UdeM; ) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce on M ...

has its

Salle Claude Champagne Salle is the French word for 'hall', 'room' or 'auditorium', as in: *Salle des Concerts Herz, a former Paris concert hall *Salle Favart, theatre of the Paris Opéra-Comique * Salle Le Peletier, former home of the Paris Opéra * Salle Pleyel, a Pa ...

, named after Quebec

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

Claude Champagne. The Grand Théâtre de Québec in Quebec City is home to the Orchestre symphonique du Québec. A regional centre,

Rimouski Rimouski ( ; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski, whose motto is ''Legi patrum fidelis'' (Faithful to ...

, is home to the Orchestre symphonique de l'Estuaire and has a large concert hall, the Desjardins-Telus theatre.

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

also has a long tradition in Quebec. Montreal's annual

Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival international de Jazz de Montréal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. Every year it features roughly 3,000 ar ...

draws a number of visitors each summer. Many Quebecers have made a name for themselves in the jazz world, such as

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...

, Oliver Jones, Karen Young, Lorraine Desmarais, Vic Vogel, Michel Donato, and Alain Caron. A number of performers enjoy considerable success at home, both in terms of record sales and listenership, while remaining relatively unknown outside Quebec. In a number of cases, French-speaking Quebec singers are able to export their talent to France and Belgium. Belgian singer Lara Fabian followed the reverse path, moving to Quebec to seek a breakthrough in North America. Artists like

Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...

and the pop-punk group

Simple Plan Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band formed in Montreal, Quebec, in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals, studio bass guitar), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), and Sébastien Lefebvre (rhyt ...

have achieved considerable success in English-speaking countries by expanding their audience base. Celine Dion, for instance, has sold over 50 million albums in the United States alone. Montreal also has a flourishing English-language music scene. Some of the well-known English-language musical acts from Quebec include

April Wine April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia, led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwyn until his death in 2023. April Wine first experienced success with their second album, ' ...

, The Box, Men Without Hats, Corey Hart, sisters Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, and

Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...

. Quebec is also well known for their French-language country music. Though English-language country is found in Quebec as well, French is the primary version. French-language singers include Renée Martel, Gildor Roy, Patrick Norman, Willie Lamothe,

Steph Carse Stephen Carse (born May 22, 1965), credited as Steph Carse is a Canadian pop singer. Career Originally from Montreal, Quebec,"Steph Carse showcases his songwriting". '' The Gazette'', December 8, 1994. Carse began his career in the 1990s. His fi ...

, and Georges Hamel. The Quebec scene is renowned in metal circles for its production of some of the world's finest

technical Technical may refer to: * Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle * Technical area, an area which a manager, other coaching personnel, and substitutes are allowed to occupy during a football match * Technical advisor, a person who ...

and

progressive death metal Progressive metal (often shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven sound of the former with t ...

bands such as Voivod, Gorguts, Quo Vadis, Neuraxis and

Martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

as well as Augury and Unexpect. The Quebec metal scene also produced other fine bands such as Kataklysm (northern hyperblast), Despised Icon (deathcore) and Cryptopsy (death metal). Various musical events are held throughout Quebec, such as the

Festival d'été de Québec The Festival d'été de Québec (FEQ) is the largest music festival in Canada in terms of number of artists (more than 200), largest stage (100,000), largest number of days (11). A total number of passes of 140,350 (130,000 standard, 3,000 gold ...

, the ''Emerging Music Festival'' of

Rouyn-Noranda Rouyn-Noranda (; Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population 42,313) is a city on Osisko Lake in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, Canada. The city of Rouyn-Noranda is coextensive with a territory equivalent to a regional county municipalit ...

, ''Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée'', the

, the ''Granby International Song Festival'', the ''International Festival of Rhythms of the World'' in Saguenay, the Festival Western de Saint-Tite, the Montreal FrancoFolies festival, the Mondial des Cultures of Drummondville, the White Nights of Anse de Roche, Woodstock en Beauce, etc. Other festivals join music to fireworks, such as Grand Feux Loto-Québec at the Montmorency Falls, Quebec City, the International Loto-Québec Firework at amusement park La Ronde, Montreal, or the ''Grands Feux du Casino'' in the park of Lac-Leamy in Gatineau.

Theatre

Quebec theatre was largely based on plays originating in France, Great Britain, or the United States before the mid-20th century, when plays written by Quebec dramatists gained popularity. Gratien Gélinas gained fame in Quebec and made an important contribution to Québécois identity with his character Fridolin, a Montreal boy who speaks in local slang ( Joual) and has humorous views about everyday life. Since the 1960s, many playwrights have embraced themes of

modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

and post-modernism. This became known as the "new Quebec theatre", featuring works by playwrights such as Michel Tremblay, Jean-Claude Germain, and Jean Barbeau. Michel Tremblay, perhaps the most well known outside Quebec, brought themes such as Quebec identity, working class values, gay relationships, and urban life to the stage.

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair lo ...

is prominent as a playwright, actor and director. Wajdi Mouawad is known for the critically praised play '' Scorched'', which was filmed as '' Incendies''. Several landmark theatres are active in Montreal and Quebec City. The Théâtre du Nouveau Monde was established in Montreal in 1951 as a classical theatre company, staging works by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

among others. During the Quiet Revolution, it began staging plays of a more contemporary and experimental nature as well. It lies within the precinct of the Quartier des Spectacles entertainment district, which encompasses more than 30 live performance halls. Other prominent theatres in the district include Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, Théâtre Saint-Denis, Montreal Arts Interculturels, and Théâtre Telus. There are also the Théâtre d'Aujourd'hui, Théâtre de Quat'Sous, Théâtre du Rideau Vert, Théâtre Espace Go, Monument-National, and Théâtre Maisonneuve among others. The Monument-National theatre is owned by the National Theatre School of Canada located in Montreal. The Maison Théâtre, founded in 1982, is an association of 27 theatre companies that has a mission to develop and promote theatre for children and youth. On its part, Quebec City is home to Capitole de Québec and Grand Théâtre de Québec. Centaur Theatre is Montreal's largest English-language theatre. The summer theatre is a true symbol of Quebec literature. Presented in the summer, it offers a variety of amusements, usually musicals or humorous dramas, sometimes outdoors, in rural and semi-rural regions of Quebec, in venues such as the theatre of ''la Dame de Cœur'' (the Lady of Heart) in Upton,

Montérégie Montérégie () is an administrative region in the southwest part of Quebec. It includes the cities of Boucherville, Brossard, Châteauguay, Longueuil, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and Vaudreuil-Dorion. ...

, the ''Grands Chênes'' (Great Oaks) Theatre in

Kingsey Falls Kingsey Falls, Quebec is a town in Centre-du-Québec, Quebec, Canada, with a population of 1,946 at the Canada 2016 Census, 2016 census. It is 30 km east of Drummondville and west of Quebec Route 116, Route 116. One of the largest employers ...

, Centre-du-Québec and the theatre of ''la Marjolaine'' in

Eastmain Eastmain (; ) is a Cree community located on the east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is a small coastal Cree village with a population of 924 people in the 2021 Canadian Census up from 866 people at ...

Estrie Estrie () is an List of Quebec regions, administrative region of Quebec that comprises the Eastern Townships. ''Estrie'', a French neologism, was coined as a derivative of ''est'', "east". Originally settled by anglophones, today it is about 90 pe ...

. The Quebec Theatre Academy and the Quebec Association of Playwrights (AQAD) are the main organizations for the promotion of literature and theatre in Quebec. The Quebec literary awards, including the Medal of the

Académie des lettres du Québec The Académie des lettres du Québec is a national academy for Quebec writers. It was founded as the Académie canadienne-française in 1944 by Victor Barbeau and a group of writers. In 1992 it changed its name to the Académie des lettres du Québ ...

, and the ''Soirée des Masques'' reward the important personalities of the year.

Visual arts

For many years a mostly rural society, Quebec has a tradition of

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...

art, including the making of

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows, as exemplified in the art of Marcelle Ferron. The group known as Les Automatistes, and its best known artist, Jean-Paul Riopelle, is perhaps Quebec's best known contribution to the world of fine art. During the 19th and early 20th century, Quebec art was dominated by landscape painting, although some artists, including James Wilson Morrice, Ozias Leduc, and

Alfred Laliberté Alfred Laliberté (19 May 1877 – 13 January 1953) was a French-Canadian sculptor and painter based in Montreal. His output includes more than 900 sculptures in bronze, marble, wood, and plaster. Many of his sculptures depict national figure ...

, showed a receptiveness to European trends such as symbolism and the style of

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

. Modern Quebec art developed during and after World War II.

Alfred Pellan Alfred Pellan (born Alfred Pelland; 16 May 1906 – 31 October 1988) was an important figure in twentieth-century Canadian painting. Biography Alfred Pellan was born on 16 May 1906 in the Saint-Roch quarter of Quebec City. His mother, Régi ...

and Paul-Émile Borduas were leaders of the modern art movement in Quebec. Non-figurative works became notable among the creations of Quebec artists. Two broad trends during the post-War years have been identified:

abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism in the United States emerged as a distinct art movement in the aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s, a shift from the American social realism of the 1930s influenced by the Great Depressi ...

( Marcelle Ferron, Marcel Barbeau,

, and Jean-Paul Riopelle) and geometric abstraction ( Jean-Paul Jérôme, Fernand Toupin, Louis Belzile, and Rodolphe de Repetigny). Jean Dallaire and Jean-Paul Lemieux became prominent figurative painters during this period. The most well-known painters of the 1960s include Guido Molinari, Claude Tousignant, and Yves Gaucher. During the 1960s, art "

happening A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow in 1959 to describe a range of art-related events. History Origins Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happening" i ...

s" took place in Montreal, as in other artistic centres worldwide. Public art also became more visible in Montreal. Montreal was the first city in Canada to participate in the

Nuit Blanche Nuit Blanche () (White Night) is an annual all-night or night-time arts festival of a city. A Nuit Blanche typically has museums, private and public art galleries, and other cultural institutions open and free of charge, with the centre of the ...

(White Night) art festival, which is now an annual event. During this festival, art galleries and performance spaces open their doors to the public for evening exhibits. In the 1990s, Charles Carson was "discovered" by Guy Robert, founder of the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal. Struck by "the freshness and vivacity of the palette, the dynamism and diversity of the compositions, the rhythm that animates each segment of his paintings" (ROBERT, Guy. "Carson", Mont-Royal: Iconia, 1993, 55 pp.), he sees Carson as one of the main painters known in Quebec, and he coined the word "carsonism" to name his art.

Architecture

Québécois architecture is characterized by its unique

Canadien French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the provi ...

-style buildings as well as the juxtaposition of a variety of styles reflective of Quebec's history. When walking in any city or town, one can come across buildings with styles congruent to Classical, Neo-Gothic, Roman,

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

Greek Revival Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

, Neo-Classical, Québécois Neo-Classical, Victorian, Second Empire, Modern,

Post-modern Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experi ...

Skyscrapers A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

. Canadien-style houses and barns were developed by the first settlers of New France who settled along the banks of the Saint Lawrence River. These buildings are rectangular one-storey structures with an extremely tall and steep roof, sometimes almost twice as tall as the house below. It is thought that this roof design may have been developed to prevent the accumulation of snow. They were usually built out of wood, but the surviving ones are almost all built out of stone. Canadien-style churches also developed. Each new village would build its own church, often being inspired by the churches of Québec and Montreal in the process. These churches long served as landmarks while traversing rural Quebec and were built in the center of the town. Quebec is often said to possess the most beautiful churches in North America.

Lifestyle

Family life

During the 1950s and 1960s, Quebec maintained record

fertility rate The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that are born to a woman over her lifetime, if they were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through their lifetime, and they were t ...

s, with the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church using their priests (established in all parishes and small towns) to guide and direct people's attitudes and morals. In the post–

era, this attitude completely changed. In 2001, the fertility rate in Quebec was 1.474 per thousand. In Quebec, many, if not all, married women retain their maiden names when they marry, as was the case in the Middle Ages. This is mandated in the

Civil Code of Quebec The ''Civil Code of Quebec'' (CCQ; , ) is the civil code in force in the Canadian province of Quebec, which came into effect on January 1, 1994. It replaced the '' Civil Code of Lower Canada'' () enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Provin ...

/sup>. This followed the 1970s strong

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

movement and the Quiet Revolution. Since June 24, 2002, Quebec has had a

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, primarily created to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage, with ch ...

system available to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples. On March 19, 2004, Quebec became the third province in Canada to legally perform a

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

, following a court challenge brought by Michael Hendricks and René Leboeuf. The province is known as one of the most tolerant and gay friendly places in North America.

Food

As in European countries like

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, where cooking is considered one of the fine arts, fine dining is a passion among the well-to-do of Quebec society. Even small communities proudly boast of famous inns where the chef has an international reputation. This could be partly explained by a strong immigration in the 1960s and 1970s from

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and

. Many of those immigrants were

waiter Waiting staff (British English, BrE), waiters () / waitresses (), or servers (AmE) are those who work at a restaurant, a diner, or a Bar (establishment), bar and sometimes in private homes, attending to customers by supplying them with food an ...

s, cooks and

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

Food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

from Quebec include most of the foods from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, The

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

, Northern Africa, Asia,

and then some scattered other

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

The traditional Quebecois cuisine descends from 16th century

French cuisine French cuisine is the cooking traditions and practices of France. In the 14th century, Guillaume Tirel, a Court (royal), court chef known as "Taillevent", wrote ''Le Viandier'', one of the earliest recipe collections of medieval France. In ...

, the

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...

and a history of

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

. French settlers populating North America were interested in a new cuisine to confront the climate and the needs arising from the work of colonization. It has many similarities with Acadian cuisine. Quebec's cuisine has also been influenced by learning from First Nation, by

English cuisine English cuisine encompasses the cooking styles, traditions and recipes associated with England. It has distinctive attributes of its own, but is also very similar to wider British cuisine, partly historically and partly due to the import of i ...

and by American cuisine. Quebec is most famous for its Tourtière, Pâté Chinois,

Poutine Poutine () is a dish of french fries and cheese curds topped with a hot brown gravy. It emerged in Quebec in the late 1950s in the Centre-du-Québec region, though its exact origins are uncertain, and there are several competing claims regar ...

, St. Catherine's taffy among others. "Le temps des sucres" is a period during springtime when many Quebecers go to the sugar shack (''cabane à sucre'') for a traditional meal. Traditional dishes are also the star of ''Le temps des fêtes'' (

holiday season The Christmas season or the festive season, also known as the holiday season or the holidays, is an annual period generally spanning from November or December to early January. Incorporating Christmas Day and New Year's Day, the various celebrat ...

, a period which covers the winter holidays. Quebec is the biggest

producer on the planet.«Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec"
(consulted 2020-04-14) About 72% of the maple syrup sold on the international market (and 90% of the maple syrup sold in Canada) originates from Quebec. The province has a long history of developing and perfecting the craft of producing maple syrup, and creating new maple-derived products. Quebec has produced beer since the beginning of colonization especially with the emergence of spruce beer. Quebec also produces a great number of high-quality wines including ice wine and ice cider. Because of the climate and available resources, it is only since the 1980s that these drinks can be produced in industrial quantities. Today there are nearly a hundred breweries and companies, including Unibroue,

Molson Coors Molson Coors Beverage Company is a Canadian-American Multinational corporation, multinational Drink industry, drink and brewing company, brewing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Molson Coors was formed in 2005 through the merger of Mo ...

Labatt Labatt Brewing Company Limited () is a Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned brewery headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1847, Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Interbrew. In 2004, Interb ...

and many others. Quebec has produced cheese for centuries. Most of the first cheeses were soft cheeses, but after the Conquest of New France, hard cheese began to be created as well. The first cheese-making school in North America was established in Saint-Denis-de-Kamouraska in 1893. It was at this moment that the monks of La Trappe of Oka began to produce the famous Oka cheese. Today there are over 700 different cheeses in Quebec.

Work

The province at the beginning of the 20th century was known for its low-paid

blue-collar worker A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labour, manual labor or Tradesman, skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, Warehouse, warehousing, mining, ...

s employed in

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

s, paper plants and shops. Quebec also has a long tradition in

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

. In the first part of the 20th century, many lumber camps in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

were staffed by

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

workers. Despite a nationwide decline in union membership in Canada since 1981, Quebec has sustained one of the highest rates of union membership in the country. Quebec is the only jurisdiction in North America where a

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

has ever successfully unionized, although the store closed shortly thereafter.

Fashion

During the 17th century, the

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

and the

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

followed the fashions of

. They were always one year late to the fashion of Paris because it took one year for the King's ship to arrive. The habitants, including the

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

s and

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed dur ...

of the '' seigneuries'', adapted their clothes to the customs of Native Americans: women wore shorter skirts and

shawl A shawl (from ''shāl'') is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of Textile, cloth, but can also be Square (geometry), square or tr ...

s, and men wore mitasses (a type of leggings originating with First Nations), moccasins and

woolen Woolen (American English) or woollen (Commonwealth English) is a type of yarn made from carded wool. Woolen yarn is soft, light, stretchy, and full of air. It is thus a good insulator, and makes a good knitting yarn. Woolen yarn is in contrast t ...

toques. Many poorer women often arranged their hair on Sunday in a more sophisticated fashion, despite administrators of the colony stating that this style was reserved for the bourgeois and nobles. Some women wore clothes deemed indecent, with breasts almost visible. The Coureur des bois and Voyageurs wore similar clothing. During the colder months, they would wear a large coat made of deer, moose, or caribou skin with a large belt around the middle, called a Ceinture fléchée, made of leather or colorful wool. Voyageurs had the option of wearing clothes supplied by their employer, so a Voyageur who worked for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

might have chosen to wear a capote coat with the traditional HBC stripes on them. Though, those who decided to make their own capot could style it to their whims. On their heads, they either wore a fur hat or a toque (a close-fitting knitted cap). Red toques appear frequently in artwork, but other colours like grey and blue were worn too. Today, Québécois clothes follow the styles of mass-produced fashion. Québécois haute fashion is pioneered today with stylists, such as Marie Saint-Pierre, Marie-Claude Guay, Philippe Dubuc, Leo Chevalier, etc. Works are sold in boutiques and shops like

La Maison Simons La Maison Simons (colloquially Simons) is a Canadian department store chain founded in 1840 by John Simons. The business was established as a dry goods store by the son of a Scottish immigrant to Lower Canada (now Quebec). During the 1960s, th ...

, Ogilvy's,

Holt Renfrew Holt, Renfrew & Co., Limited (Trade name, doing business as Holt Renfrew and Colloquialism, colloquially Holt's) is a Economy of Canada, Canadian luxury department store chain founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson. The original William Ashton ...

Les Ailes de la Mode Les Ailes de la Mode Inc. was a Quebec department store chain. Its flagship store was in downtown Montreal and was the anchor tenant of the Montreal Eaton Centre. Les Ailes de la Mode also subleased a section of their department stores to Bowrin ...

, etc. Designers who do business in Quebec are mainly concentrated in Les Cours Mont-Royal. ''La Grande Braderie'' exhibits the works of Québécois fashion designers. The ''gala de la Griffe d'or'' rewards the best of those creators.

Leisure and hobbies

Vacation

Starting probably in the late 1940s and reaching its peak in the 1970s, some Quebec residents have vacationed or spent the whole winter months in southeast Florida, mainly in the Hallandale Beach and

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

regions. Initially a trend that only the wealthy could afford, this destination is now considered by many as outdated and unstylish. It did, however, spur the coining of the term "Floribécois", a Quebec snowbird. The increasing real estate taxes might explain why Quebecers increasingly tend to visit the North Miami area instead of residing there for part of the year. Many snowbirds owned a trailer or a house, but were renting the land where their property was located. New locations and resort areas such as

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

and

Caribbean islands Most of the Caribbean countries are islands in the Caribbean Sea, with only a few in inland lakes. The largest islands include Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Some of the smaller islands are referred to as a ''rock'' or ''reef.'' ''I ...

are now favoured by many Quebecers to spend their traditional sunny one or two-week vacations. A lot of Quebec tourists go to The Wildwoods or

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Th ...

along the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

in the summer; in 2010 it was estimated 13 percent of the tourists to the area came from Quebec and brought in around $650 million. Several hotels in The Wildwoods and Cape May are named to attract Canadian tourists. Cape May County began targeting Quebec tourists around 1970 and once operated a tourism office in downtown Montreal.

Video games

Video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

s are popular in Quebec, as they are in the rest of Canada and the United States. The majority of video games come from either the United States, Canada, or

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Only some games have been translated into French, but the

government of Quebec The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...

and the Entertainment Software Association of Canada made a deal in 2007 that will require all games sold in Quebec to be translated into French by 2009, as long as they are available in another part of the world in French as well. In some cases the game includes optional French text and/or subtitles, while in other cases the game is fully translated in French complete with dubbed voice acting (as is the case with games by Montreal-based

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Anno'', '' Assassin's Creed'', ' ...

), which may be recorded either locally or in Europe.

Sports

Sports in Quebec constitutes an essential dimension of Quebec culture. The practice of sports and outdoor activities in Quebec was influenced largely by its geography and climate.

Ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

is by far the sport of choice in Quebec. The rules of the game were set up by students at

in 1875. There are many junior ice hockey teams, and one would be hard-pressed to find even the smallest community without a rink available for organized play. Institutions include the NHL's

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

, the NHL's former

Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the World Hockey Association (1972–1979) an ...

, the

Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

, and the governing body Hockey Québec.

Association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, known in North America as soccer,

Canadian football Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete on a field long and wide, attempting to advance a Ball (gridiron football), pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposi ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

are the most practised and watched sports during the summer season in Quebec.

Cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...

is very easily accessible due to the abundance of snow and an unending supply of open fields. With the

Laurentian Mountains The Laurentian Mountains, also known as the Laurentians or Laurentides, are a mountain range in Canada. The range is long and ranges in height from with peaks over . The Laurentian Mountains extend across Labrador and Quebec within the Laurent ...

close at hand, some of the best downhill skiing in Canada east of the Rockies is to be found in Quebec as well. The

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

(or " skidoo"), invented in Quebec by

Joseph-Armand Bombardier Joseph-Armand Bombardier (; April 16, 1907 – February 18, 1964) was a Canadian inventor and businessman who was the founder of Bombardier. His most famous invention was a snowmobile. Biography Born in Valcourt, Quebec, Joseph-Armand Bombard ...

, is a popular hobby, though its reputation has been marred by several deaths each year. Through the 1990s, the Mont Tremblant and Mont Sainte-Anne ski resorts became popular destinations internationally. Another popular pastime is ice fishing. Rivers freeze over quickly come wintertime and as soon as the ice is solid enough to walk upon, one can find dozens of tiny homemade shacks (ice houses) dotting the frozen surface. Quebec is home to many professional sports teams and events, the majority of which call Montreal home. Québec athletes have performed well at the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (), also known as the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were held i ...

over recent years. They won 12 of Canada's 29 medals at the most recent Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang (2018); they won 12 of the 27 Canadian medals in Sochi (2014); and 9 of the 26 Canadian medals in Vancouver (2010).

Existing teams

(

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

) *

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

(

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

) *

CF Montréal Club de Foot Montréal () is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Montreal. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. Founded in 1992 as the Mo ...

(

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

) * Québec Capitales ( Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball) *

Quebec Remparts The Quebec Remparts () are a Canadian junior ice hockey based in Quebec City, Quebec. The team plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and is named after the Ramparts of Quebec City (). There have been two franchises name ...

(

) * Sherbrooke Phoenix (

)

Defunct teams

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...

(

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

) *

(

) * Montreal Express (

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league comprises 14 teams8 in the United States and 6 in Canada. The NLL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

) * Équipe Cycliste Cascades (cycling)

Events

* Canadian Grand Prix (

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

racing) *

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series The NASCAR Canada Series (NCS, ) is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada, and is a continuation of the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981. It is the top NASCAR touring series in Canada. History In September 2006 NASCAR purchas ...

* Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières ( Atlantic Championship)

Athletes

Noted Quebec athletes include: * Baseball ( Éric Gagné, Russell Martin, Dick Lines) * Basketball ( Bill Wennington, Samuel Dalembert, Joel Anthony) * Cycling ( Geneviève Jeanson, Lyne Bessette) * Diving ( Alexandre Despatie, Sylvie Bernier, Annie Pelletier) * Figure skating: ( Joannie Rochette, Isabelle Brasseur, David Pelletier, Josée Chouinard, Valérie Marcoux) * Hockey (

Maurice Richard Joseph Henri Maurice "Rocket" Richard ( , ; August 4, 1921 – May 27, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens. He was the first player in NHL his ...

, Guy Lafleur,

Mario Lemieux Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984–85 NHL season, 1984 and 2005–06 NHL se ...

Mike Bossy Michael Dean Bossy (January 22, 1957April 15, 2022) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League. He spent his entire NHL career, which lasted from 1977 to 1987, with the Islanders, and ...

, Jean Béliveau, Patrick Roy,

Martin Brodeur Martin Pierre Brodeur (; born May 6, 1972) is a Canadian–American former professional ice hockey goaltender and current team executive. He played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), 21 of them for the New Jersey Devils, with whom ...

, Vincent Lecavalier, Doug Harvey, Roberto Luongo, Joe Malone, Jean-Gabriel Pageau) * Judo ( Nicolas Gill) * Lethwei ( Dave Leduc) * Mixed martial arts (

Georges St-Pierre Georges St-Pierre (; born May 19, 1981), also known by his initials GSP, is a Canadian former professional mixed martial artist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) history. St-Pierre was a two-divi ...

, David Loiseau) * Short-track speed skating ( Marc Gagnon, Nathalie Lambert, Éric Bédard) * Long-track speed skating ( Gaétan Boucher) * Racing ( Gilles Villeneuve,

Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (; born 9 April 1971) is a Canadian former racing driver, who competed in IndyCar from 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1994 to 1995 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1995, and Formula One from to . Villeneuve won t ...

, Alex Tagliani, Patrick Carpentier) * Football ( Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Paul Lambert, Éric Lapointe, Terry Evanshen, Ian Beckles), * Soccer ( Samuel Piette, Sandro Grande, Adam Braz, Patrick Leduc), Nick DeSantis), Mauro Biello) * Moguls ( Alexandre Bilodeau)

Media

Quebec is dominated by French-language media, although there are a small number of English-language media centred in Montreal. Quebecers also have access to Canadian English-language media, as well as media from the United States, France, and elsewhere. Québecor Média is a significant corporate presence in Quebec media; the company also controls the large

Sun Media Sun Media Corporation was the owner of several tabloid and broadsheet newspapers in Canada and the 49% owner of the now defunct Sun News Network. It was a subsidiary of Quebecor Media. On October 6, 2014, Quebecor Media announced the sale of ...

chain across Canada. The major newspapers in Quebec include the broadsheets '' La Presse'' (Montreal), ''

Le Devoir (, ) is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and throughout Canada. It was founded by journalist and politician Henri Bourassa in 1910. is one of few independent large-circulation newspapers in Quebec ...

'' (Montreal) and '' Le Soleil'' (Quebec City), the tabloids ''

Le Journal de Montréal is a daily French-language tabloid newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Quebec and is also the largest French-language daily newspaper in North America. Established by Pierre Pé ...

'' (Montreal) and ''

Le Journal de Québec ''Le Journal de Québec'' is a French-language daily newspaper in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Printed in tabloid format, it has the highest circulation for a Quebec City newspaper, with its closest competitor being '' Le Soleil''. It was foun ...

'' (Quebec City), and the English-language broadsheet '' The Gazette'' (Montreal). Other smaller centres have their own newspapers, and there are also several free papers including "alternative weeklies" and daily micro-presses available in cafes and the

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (, ) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, 1966, during the tenure ...

. A number of television networks and stations broadcast in Quebec. Two public broadcasters broadcast over the air in French:

Radio-Canada Radio-Canada may refer to: * CBC/Radio-Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation *Ici Radio-Canada Télé, the CBC's main French-language television network *Ici Radio-Canada Première Ici Radio-Canada Première (formerly Première Chaîne) i ...

, operated by the federal government, and

Télé-Québec The (; ), branded as () (formerly known as ), is a Canadian French-language public educational television network in the province of Quebec. It is a provincial Crown corporation owned by the Government of Quebec. The network's main studios an ...

, operated by the provincial government. Two private (commercial) broadcasters broadcast over the air in French: TVA (which generally has the highest ratings of all French-language broadcasters) and

Noovo Noovo is a Television in Canada, Canadian French language, French-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. The network has five Owned-and-operated station, owned-and-operated a ...

. These Quebec television networks produce a considerable amount of their content locally, including the popular téléromans. The three main Canadian English networks also broadcast over the air in Quebec: public broadcaster

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

and private broadcasters CTV and

Global Global may refer to: General *Globe, a spherical model of celestial bodies *Earth, the third planet from the Sun Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 198 ...

. These networks provide some local content, primarily

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...

and

public affairs programming In broadcasting, public affairs Radio broadcasting, radio or television programs focus on matters of politics and public policy. In the United States, among commercial broadcasters, such programs are often only to satisfy Federal Communications C ...

. Montreal's CJNT, owned by

Rogers Sports & Media Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties. Operations Current television brands owned by Rogers include two television sy ...

, is an affiliate of the English language

Citytv Citytv (sometimes shortened to City, which was the network's official branding from 2012 to 2018) is a Television in Canada, Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The network consis ...

network, while CFHD provides multicultural programming. A number of networks are only available to

cable Cable may refer to: Mechanical * Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof * Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...

and satellite subscribers. Subscribers can watch a wide range of specialized French-language TV channels. Amongst these offerings is TV5, the international French-language network. Most major Canadian English-language cable and satellite networks are also available. Most American television networks are available in Quebec, although in some locations farther from the Canada–United States border they are not available over the air, but only on cable. The PBS affiliates from the neighbouring states, WETK in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, and WCFE in Plattsburgh, New York, sometimes run Quebec-specific material.

Cultural institutions

Many cultural institutions were set up in Quebec in the wake of the

. Among the key institutions are: * the Archives nationales du Québec (Quebec National Archives) created in 1920, and the Bibliothèque nationale du Québec (Quebec National Library) created in 1967, now combined into the

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec The (; ; abbr. BAnQ) is a Quebec government agency which manages the province's legal deposit system, national archives, and national library. Located at the Grande Bibliothèque in Montreal, the BAnQ was created by the merging of the Biblioth ...

* the

Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec The Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec (, CMADQ) is a public network of nine state-subsidised schools offering higher education in music and theatre in Quebec, Canada. The organization was established in 1942 as a branch of th ...

, a network of nine Academies created in 1942 * the provincial public broadcaster

created in 1968 * the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (Quebec Council of Arts and Letters) created in 1992. * the interdisciplinary progressive music and fine arts institution Lambda School of Music and Fine Arts founded in 200

Quebec's rich heritage of culture and history can be explored through a network of museums, which include the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, the Musée de la civilisation and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. Many of Quebec's artists have been educated in universities' arts faculties and specialized art schools. Notable schools include the

, the École nationale de théâtre du Canada and the École nationale de cirque.

Prizes and awards

Quebec rewards its singers, musicians, authors, actors, directors, dancers, etc. regularly. Among the awards are: * Athanase David Awards (Literature) * Félix Awards (Music) * Gémeaux Awards (Television and film) *

Jutra Awards Jutras may have several meanings : * Claude Jutra: an award-winning French Canadian filmmaker **Jutra Award: Film awards formerly given in the Canadian province of Quebec, named after the filmmaker and now known as Prix Iris **The Claude Jutra Awa ...

(Cinema) * Masques Awards (Theatre) * Olivier Guimond Awards (Humour) * Opus Awards (Concert music) * Prix du Québec (Several cultural fields)

Holidays and traditions

Quebec is home to a number of unique holidays and traditions not found anywhere else. St-Jean-Baptiste Day is one of Quebec's biggest holidays. In 1977, the Quebec Parliament declared June 24, the day of , to be Quebec's National Holiday. , or , honours French Canada's patron saint,

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

. On this day, the song " Gens du pays", by

Gilles Vigneault Gilles Vigneault (; born 27 October 1928) is a Canadian poet, Publishing, publisher, singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalism, Quebec nationalist and Quebec sovereignty movement, sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Qu ...

, is often heard. This song is commonly regarded as Quebec's unofficial anthem. Festivities occur on June 23 and 24 all over Quebec. In big cities like

, shows are organized in main public spaces (such as on the

Plains of Abraham The Plains of Abraham () is a historic area within the Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was established on 17 March 1908. The land is the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took place on 13 September 1759, ...

in Quebec City, or in

Maisonneuve Park Maisonneuve Park is an urban park in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of Montreal's List of parks in Montreal, large parks. Established in 1910, it is in size, in three sections. Th ...

in Montreal) where several of the most popular Québécois artists sing until late at night. Festivities include parades, bonfires, fireworks, drinking, feasts, musical concerts, flag waving, contests and patriotic speeches. National Patriots' Day, a statutory holiday in Quebec, is also a unique public holiday, which honours the patriotes who fought the British in the Patriots' War with displays of the patriote flag, marches, music, public speeches, ceremonies and banquets. '' Le Vieux de '37'' ("The Old Man of '37") is an illustration by Henri Julien that depicts a patriot of this rebellion. ''Le Vieux de '37'' is one of the best known symbols of the rebellion and is sometimes added at the centre of Patriote flags. Moving Day is a tradition where leases terminate on July 1. This creates a

social phenomenon Social phenomena or social phenomenon (singular) are any behaviours, actions, or events that takes place because of social influence, including from contemporary as well as historical societal influences. They are often a result of multifaceted pro ...

where everyone seems to be moving out at the same time. The Construction Holiday was born out of legislation which synchronized a two-week holiday in July for the entire construction industry. Other traditions include: the (a time in March when people go to sugar shacks), Québécois snowbirds (people who migrate to Florida every winter), and the (campgrounds celebrating

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

in July). Quebecois can also have different ways of celebrating certain holidays. A good example is the Réveillon, a giant feast and party which takes place during

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

and

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

and goes on until midnight. Traditional dishes like tourtière or Sea-pie, cipâte are offered, and rigaudon, Spoon (musical instrument), spoon and/or violin may be played. ''La nuit de Jean Jabranche'' ("Jean Jabranche Night") is an annual holiday celebrated five days before Christmas on the evening of December 19. The night celebrates Jean Jabranche, an 18th-century folk hero who was believed to leave chocolates for children to prepare for the arrival of Père Noël five days later. The night is celebrated by leaving out branches of pine trees or sprigs of holly along with a mug of mulled wine. In turn, Jean Jabranche supposedly leaves chocolates for the children the next morning. April Fools' Day is called ''Poisson d'Avril'' ("April's Fish") because while pulling pranks is still important, there is another major tradition: sticking fish-shaped paper cutouts to people's backs without them noticing. During Halloween, the sentence used instead of "trick-or-treat!" varies depending on the region.

National symbols

In 1939, the

unilaterally ratified its Coat of arms of Quebec, coat of arms to reflect History of Quebec, Quebec's political history: French rule (gold lily on blue background), followed by British rule (lion on red background), followed by Canadian rule (maple leaves), and with Quebec's motto below "Je me souviens". Je me souviens ("I remember") was first carved under the coat of arms of Quebec's Parliament Building (Quebec), Parliament Building in 1883. ''Je me souviens'' is an official part of the coat of arms and has been the official licence plate motto since 1978, replacing the previous one: ''La belle province'' ("the beautiful province"). The expression ''La belle province'' is still used as a nickname for the province. The fleur-de-lis, one of Quebec's most common symbols, is an ancient symbol of the French monarchy and was first shown in Quebec on the shores of Gaspésie in 1534 when Jacques Cartier arrived in Quebec for the first time. St. John the Baptist, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the patron saint of Canadiens, is honoured every 24 June during National Holiday (Quebec), Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. Finally, the Great Seal of Quebec is used to authenticate documents issued by the government of Quebec.

When Samuel de Champlain founded Québec City in 1608, his ship hoisted the ''French merchant flag'', which consisted of a white cross on a blue background. Later on, at the Battle of Carillon, in 1758, the Flag of Carillon was flown. This flag inspired the first members of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society to create the ''Carillon Sacré-Coeur'' flag, which consisted of a white cross on an azur background with white fleur-de-lis in each corner and a Sacred Heart#Sacred Heart imagery, Sacred Heart surrounded by Maple leaf, maple leaves in the centre. The ''Carillon Sacré-Coeur'' and ''French merchant flag'' went on to be the major inspirations for Québécois when creating Quebec's current flag in 1903, called the ''Fleurdelisé''. The ''Fleurdelisé'' replaced the Union Jack on Quebec's Parliament Building (Quebec), Parliament Building on January 21, 1948, and it has flown there ever since. Three new official symbols were adopted in the late 1900s: * ''Iris versicolor'', the floral emblem of Quebec since 1999. It was chosen because it blooms around the time of Quebec's Fête nationale. * The snowy owl, the avian emblem of Quebec since 1987. It was selected by the Québécois government to symbolize Quebec's winters and northern climate. * The yellow birch, the tree emblem of Quebec since 1993. It was picked to emphasize the importance Québécois give to the forests. The tree is admired for its diverse uses, its commercial value and its autumn colours. In 1998, the Montreal Insectarium sponsored a poll to choose an official insect for Quebec. The Limenitis arthemis, white admiral butterfly (''Limenitis arthemis'') won with 32% of the 230 660 votes. However, the white admiral was never accepted by the Government of Quebec as an official symbol.

Quebec's diaspora

The earliest immigrants to the Canadian prairies were French Canadians from Quebec. Most Franco-Albertans, Fransaskois and Franco-Manitobans are descended from these emigrants from Quebec. From the mid-1800s to the Great Depression, Quebec experienced the Grande Hémorragie ("Great Hemorrhaging"), a massive emigration of 900,000 people from Quebec to New England. French Canadians often established themselves in Little Canadas in many industrial New England centers like Lowell, Massachusetts, Lowell, Lawrence, Massachusetts, Lawrence and New Bedford (Massachusetts); Woonsocket (Rhode Island); Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire, Nashua (

); Biddeford, Brunswick, Maine, Brunswick and Lewiston, Maine, Lewiston (

), and parts of Connecticut, among others. Of the 900,000 Québécois who emigrated, about half returned. Most of the descendants of those who stayed are now Cultural assimilation, assimilated to the general Americans, American population, though a few Franco-Americans remain, speaking New England French. Some tried to slow the Grande Hémorragie by redirecting people north, which resulted in the founding of many regions in Quebec (ex. Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Val-d'Or, etc.) but also in Northeastern Ontario. The northeastern

s of today, which are primarily concentrated in Timmins, Hearst, Ontario, Hearst, Moosonee and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Sault Sainte Marie, among others, are the descendants of emigrants from Quebec who worked in the mines of the area. In recent times, Québécois snowbirds often migrate to southern Florida during the winter, resulting in the emergence of temporary "Québécois regions" there. Three Desjardins Group, Desjardins branches exist in Florida to assist Québécois snowbirds.

Regional cultures

:fr:Région administrative du Québec, Quebec's 17 administrative regions each have their own quirks. Inside of these administrative regions, there can often be other regions with their own character (ex. Magdalen Islands in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Nunavik in Nord-du-Québec, etc.) as well as cities with their own personality (ex. Québec, Montréal, etc.).

Beauce

A region of small towns and farmland south of Quebec City, its people have a strong regional identity connected with the area's long history. Some of the earliest settlements of New France were in this region.

Côte-Nord

The large Côte-Nord region borders the northern stretch of the Saint Lawrence River. Its small-sized municipalities mainly concern themselves with the exploitation of natural resources via forestry, mining, hydroelectricity and fishing. The region is home to the famous "eye of Quebec", the massive submerged crater of Manicouagan Reservoir."Decouvrez le Quebec Maritime"
(Consulted April 2021)

Eastern Townships (Estrie)

This southeast region is located along the Canada–United States border (Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine). It was influenced during the 19th century by Loyalist (American Revolution), American loyalists who settled there. Its main city is Sherbrooke and the region is also well known for its skiing centres (Orford, Sutton, Owl's Head, all part of the Appalachian mountains).

Gaspé

The Gaspé Peninsula (Gaspésie in French) borders on the Maritimes and shares its maritime culture. Acadians are a majority in many towns close to New Brunswick such as Bonaventure, Quebec, Bonaventure, and some Québécois Gaspesians living in those towns have an accent very close to that of their Acadian neighbours. The culture of the Gaspé is very much based on the sea. Tourist attractions include the shrimp industry and fish pass, salmon pass of Matane, Quebec, Matane, regional food, coastal scenery, the Percé Rock, and the Chic-Choc Mountains, Chic-Choc section of the Appalachian Mountains.

Montreal

Montréal, Quebec's largest city, is the second largest French-speaking city in the

after Paris. The city is known for its culture, festivals, cuisine, and shopping. Montreal also has a large English-speaking Quebecer, English-speaking and Allophone (Quebec), allophone population. Most immigrants to Quebec settle in Montreal, and many come from French-speaking nations.

Outaouais

A local accent is characteristic of the people of Outaouais in western Quebec. The region includes some predominantly English-speaking villages such as Wakefield (which is part of the La Pêche municipality), but it is generally French-speaking. The city of Gatineau lies across the Ottawa River from the city of Ottawa, and many people in the area are employed with the federal government.

Quebec City

, the provincial capital (albeit dubbed ''La capitale nationale'', national capital, in French), is best known as the first permanent settlement and the only fortified city in North America north of Mexico. The old city, partially encircled within the centuries-old walls, is often said to have a European flair.

Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean

A region known for its blueberry, blueberries, its Tourtière#Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Eastern Quebec, tourtière which is a kind of a stew inside crust, its soupe aux gourganes and other specialties, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean is also the birthplace of many of Quebec's public figures such as former Quebec premier Lucien Bouchard, singer Mario Pelchat and Olympic Games, Olympic athlete Marc Gagnon. The accent of this region is one of the most distinctive and peculiar ones found in Quebec. The region hosts many festivals during summertime and receives many tourists. This area is sometimes considered the heartland of the Quebec sovereigntist movement.

References

External links

Culture: Quebec Portal

Public domain literature of Quebec
{{Authority control Culture of Quebec,

Heritage

Folklore

Creative arts

Cinema

Circus arts

Comic strips

Dance

Comedy

Literature

Early literature

''Roman du terroir'' (1900–1960)

Quiet Revolution (1960–1970)

Post-modernism and today

Music

Theatre

Visual arts

Architecture

Lifestyle

Family life

Food

Work

Fashion

Leisure and hobbies

Vacation

Video games

Sports

Existing teams

Defunct teams

Events

Athletes

Media

Cultural institutions

Prizes and awards

Holidays and traditions

National symbols

Quebec's diaspora

Regional cultures

Beauce

Côte-Nord

Eastern Townships (Estrie)

Gaspé

Montreal

Outaouais

Quebec City

Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean

See also

References

Further reading

External links