/
French Funny Paper Sells Every 4 Years on February 29
/
Beginner
Beginner
The satirical French newspaper 'La Bougie du Sapeur' is photographed at a newspaper shop in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024. Satirical French newspaper La Bougie du Sapeur only comes out on Feb. 29, once every four years. Some friends started the leap year newspaper as a joke in 1980, so the one published Thursday was just its 12th edition. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

French Funny Paper Sells Every 4 Years on February 29

February 29th, 2024

There is a funny newspaper in France called "La Bougie du Sapeur". It is special because it is only for sale one day every four years, on February 29. This newspaper has jokes and stories about things that happened in the last four years. In the new paper this year, there is a funny story about not needing schools because of smart computers. There is also a joke about taking apart the Eiffel Tower and having instructions to put it back together. Friends made this newspaper in 1980 for fun. They named it after a funny book character who has a birthday on February 29. In 2020, many people bought the newspaper and the money helped people with special needs, like autism. The people who make the newspaper like to make jokes and make people happy. They think when things in the world are not good, it is important to laugh.
AI isn't perfect, so some things may be inaccurate. We don't necessarily endorse the views or information you see here and provide it for language learning purposes only.

💭 Discussion Questions


1
. What is the name of the funny newspaper in France?
2
. How often does 'La Bougie du Sapeur' go on sale?
3
. What did the money from the newspaper sales help with in 2020?

📖 Vocabulary


🌐 Cultural context


France is a country in Europe, known for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. French people enjoy humor and satire. The article is about a humorous French newspaper that is published rarely, showing the French appreciation for jokes and charity.

🧠 Further reading


Cultural impact of the Beatles
The Beatles are a very famous band from England. The members are John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. People love them a lot. In 1963, many people got very excited about them. This was called "Beatlemania." They became famous all over the world in 1964. They stayed together until 1970. The Beatles changed music and how young people thought. The Beatles helped to change things in the 1960s. In Britain, when the Beatles became famous, young people started to have more power. These young people were buying more things and acting more relaxed. The Beatles also made it popular for British bands to play in other countries, like the United States. This was called the "British Invasion." From 1964 to 1970, the Beatles' music sold very well in the United States. They often had the number one song or album. In 1965, the Beatles got a special award from Britain. John Lennon said that the Beatles were very popular, even more popular than Jesus. The Beatles used new ideas in their music. They made three special albums called "Rubber Soul," "Revolver," and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." They did things differently with music and how albums looked. The Beatles also made people more interested in new clothes, drugs that make you see things, and ideas from countries in the East. They were very important and changed a lot of things.

Theories of humor
We all like to laugh. People wonder why things are funny. There are three big ideas about this. They talk about different reasons we find things funny. One idea is called the "relief theory." It says laughing makes us feel less stressed. When we feel scared or very worried, laughing makes us feel better. Laughing can also help us say things we are usually afraid to say. For example, when we are tickled, it makes us laugh. This is because we feel a little stressed before the tickle. Laughter lets out this stress. A very old thinker, named Aristotle, thought that laughing helps us feel better after we are sad or scared.

Social support
Having friends, family, and other people to help you is good for you. They can give you different kinds of help. They might make you feel loved, give you advice, or just be with you. Help can be something you can touch, like money, or something you can't, like good words. People can get help from many places, like their family or pets, people they work with, or groups they are part of. Sometimes, even the government can give people help. Many people who study different things like how the brain works or health look at how help from others is good for us. Having help from others can make our bodies and minds feel better. But talking about others in a bad way is not good help. People have been looking at this a lot since the 1980s. They want to understand how getting help from others makes us healthier. There are two big ideas about this. Also, men and women might get help in different ways. Getting help can change depending on if you are young or old, have a lot of money or a little, where you are from, or other things about you.