Theculture of Brittany is the patterns of human activity and symbolism associated with the historical region ofBrittany in northwestern France and theBreton people. Breton culture has been influenced by various local and nearby traditions over the centuries, including the Celtic culture of theBritons andGauls andFrench culture to a lesser extent, particularly inUpper Brittany.
The languages traditionally spoken inBrittany areBreton, a Celtic language, andGallo, a Romance language that forms part of theLangues d'oïl group. The region of Brittany used to be divided by an imaginary line into two subdivisions based on linguistic boundaries between Gallo and Breton.Upper Brittany is the area surrounding eastern Brittany, which is where theGallo was predominant, andLower Brittany is located in the west, whereBreton was more widely spoken. It's worth noting the imaginary line has been constantly evolving due toRomance influence, but the line is considered to start in the communePloërmel. However, both languages have been on the decline in the region since theFrench Revolution, as the people who kept speaking them were seen as "counterrevolutionary" and the regional languages and dialects were heavily discouraged by theGovernment of France. Today, the main language of Brittany isFrench.
