Brenna Cooper
Last night saw Paris open the Olympic Games with a dazzling spectacle, showcasing French culture and history by a parade along the banks of the river Seine.
We had performances from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, French heavy-metal band Gojira and even an appearance from Zinedine Zidane himself. However, there was one moment that got viewers talking more than anything else.
This was, of course, the bizarre half naked 'blue scrotum' man who was lying on a platter of fruit.
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If you somehow missed this moment of pure madness, watch below:
Now, the Olympics is known for over the top performances, but this doesn't usually stretch to a half-naked man sat on a platter of fruit - and social media users were having a field day with their reactions.
"The world is dying, there's war and catastrophes... Meanwhile France," one person wrote on X, alongside a photo of the man, while a seconded commented: "#Paris2024 Opening Ceremony has felt like an acid trip."
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"Loving the randomness of the #OpeningCeremony 90s rave and now a blue man on a serving platter," a third user joked.
Of course, everyone's reactions online to the revelry were hilarious but no one seemed to be able to answer the question of why there was a man painted blue singing in a fruit salad?
Turns out the answer is actually a nod to ancient Greek origins.
The blue man is actually French singer-songwriter Philippe Katerine, 55, who became a household name in France back in the 2000s, with his catchy dance music.
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At the opening ceremony, he sang 'Nu', translating as 'naked', which makes it all make a little more sense.
The performance itself was supposedly inspired by the Greek god of wine and revelry called Dionysus.
Whilst the god embodies chaos and creativity, Dionysus is also associated with theatre, and religious ecstasy, often accompanied by grapevines, leopards, and a thyrsus.
Meanwhile, for the choice of blue paint, only Katerine knows, as it doesn't follow in line with traditional themes.
Taking to X, one viewer wrote: "I’m thinking of the billion viewers outside France who have just seen Philippe Katerine painted blue and scantily clad.
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"How do we explain this concept to the rest of the world?".
As someone else said: "1 billion people discovering Philippe Katerine in this way—that’s my France."
Additional words by Anish Vij.