The rooster, or “coq” in french is often used as a symbol of the French. Although it’s not an official symbol, it does date back to the far middle-ages.

Philippe August and his frank subjects were mocked by Suétone, saying that they were as proud as the lowly courtyard animal, the “coq”. It also just so happens that the Latin word for the Gaullois (which is what the inhabitants of Gaulle, which is now France, were called at the time) is the same word for rooster : gallus.

So what did those feisty and PROUD Gaullois do? Well they took on that title whole-heartedly and made it stand for something.

This is why you see the “coq” everywhere in France. As you can see, certain symbols stick around for ages.