The French Rite "Traditional" was born out of a desire to find the original spirit of the ritual of 1785. From the 1960s, under the impulse of figures like René Guilly (alias René Désaguliers), many Freemasons wished to turn away from the depleted versions of the French rite practiced in the 19th century, influenced by positivism and rationalism, to reconnect with a more rich symbolism.

Symbolism and particularities

✔ Dominant color: The sky blue, directly inherited from the 18th century.

✔ Sets: White aprons for Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts; White apron bordered with sky blue for the Master Masons, adorned with symbols like the Blazing Star, the letters M B, the Square and Compasses, the Sun and the Moon .

✔ Offices: Blue sky collar with embroidered insignia of the office.

✔ Worshipful Master : Apron enriched with additional symbols such as the three inverted Taus or the Ghimel letter.

These sets express a desire to reaffirm the initiatory and symbolic character of Masonic works, in a spirit of historical continuity.

The French Rite "Modern Restored" is also a return to the origins, but with a slightly different approach. It relies on the rituals of 1785 and the Mason regulator From 1801, while integrating other old rituals, as well as more recent uses.

Sets and uses

✔ Entered Apprentice and Fellowcraft: Simple white aprons, flap up for the Entered Apprentice, folded down for the Fellowcraft.

✔ MasterMason: White apron bordered by sky blue, often decorated with symbols chosen from a wide historical range (Square and Compasses, Blazing Star, letters M B…).

✔ Lodge Officers and Worshipful Master: Blue sky embroidered collar, Worshipful Master Apron decorated with three inverted Taus or a Grand Glory.

The French Rite "Modern Restored" retains the spirit of the 18th century rituals, but leaves more room for contemporary symbolic interpretation.

The French Rite "Groussier" is the most widespread version today, because it constitutes the reference rite of the Grand Orient of France (Godf).

Origin and development

✔ In 1922, the so-called "Gérard" version had impoverished the rituals of the French Rite by removing a large part of the symbolism.

✔ In the 1930s, under the leadership of Arthur Groussier, an overhaul was undertaken to reintroduce the fundamental initiation elements.

✔ Adopted in 1938, then consolidated after the war in 1946 and 1955, this rite was still in force at the GODF.

Masonic sets

✔ Enterd Apprentice and Fellowcraft: White aprons, flap up or folded down depending on the degree.

✔ Masters: White apron bordered by turquoise blue, decorated with the letters M B or rosettes arranged in triangle and sometimes Blazing Star.

✔ Sashes and collars: Turquoise blue, decorated with ritual jewels and a red rosette at the tip.

✔ Venerable: turquoise blue collar with Grand Glory, apron of Worshipful Master sometimes enriched with three inverted Taus.

Although all from the same common core of 1785, the three branches of the French Rite have notable differences:

✔ Colors: sky blue (Traditional & Modern Restored) vs turquoise blue (Groussier).

✔ Symbolism: Traditional → historical rigor and return to sources; Modern Restored → Tradition enriched and adaptability; Groussier → Official Rite of the GODF, widely practiced.

✔ Sets: Variations in the patterns of the aprons, the arrangement of the emblems and the ornamentation of the collars.

These distinctions allow lodges to assert their identity while remaining faithful to the French Masonic tradition.

In all its variants, the French Rite insists on the importance of Masonic regalia:

✔ It marks the degree or office of the brother or the sister.

✔ He embodies initiation progression.

✔ It expresses fidelity to ritual tradition.

✔ It strengthens the visual and symbolic harmony of the outfits.

Choosing an adapted regalia is therefore not a simple aesthetic detail, but a necessity for compliance with Masonic uses.