Holidays in the Languedoc: French National
Public Holidays:
The French enjoy 11 national jours feriés (holidays)
annually. Days are not given in lieu when a national holiday
happens to fall on a weekend, but workers tend to faire
le pont "make the bridge" to the nearet weekend
when holidays fall on Tuesday or Thursday. In years when Ascension
Day falls on Victory Day only the former is marked.
Under the law, every French citizen is entitled to 5 weeks
of vacation. Most take their summer vacations in July or August,
and many major businesses are closed then. All of France takes
to the roads, railroads, boats, and airways. Travelling in
France during August is generally a miserable experience.
Trains and roads near major cities get particularly
busy around the national holidays. This is also the time when
unions such as ferry operators, coach drivers, railway workers
and baggage loaders choose to go on strike. Travellers should
check ahead, particularly when planning a trip for during
July or August. It is a good idea to call museums, restaurants
and hotels in advance to make sure they will be open. During
May there is a holiday nearly every week, so be prepared for
shops, banks and museums to be closed for days at a time.
The civic calendar was first instituted in 1582; Bastille
Day was incorporated in 1789, Armistice Day in 1918, Workers'
Day in 1935, and Victory Day in 1945. Other holidays are traditional
Roman Catholic "Holy Days". Oddly, Good Friday is
not a Public Holiday in France (except in Alsace & Lorraine)
and the same applies to Boxing Day (St Stephen's Day, 26th
December). Several holidays are fixed by the date of the first
Sunday after the first full-moon after the Spring Equinox.
This is the date of Easter Sunday, and it determines the dates
of Ascension and Pentecost. See links below for further information:
Public Holidays in France: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
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2007
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2008
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2009
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2010
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2011
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2012
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New Year's Day
(Jour de l'an) |
1 Jan
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1 Jan
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1 Jan
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1 Jan
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1 Jan
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1 Jan
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Easter
(Pâques) |
8 Apr
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23 Mar
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12 Apr
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4 Apr
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24 Apr
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8 Apr
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Labour Day
(Fête du premier mai) |
1 May
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1 May
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1 May
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1 May
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1 May
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1 May
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WWII Victory Day
(Fête de la Victoire 1945; Fête du huitième mai) |
8 May
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8 May
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8 May
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8 May
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8 May
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8 May
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Ascension
(l'Ascencion) |
17 May
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1 May
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21 May
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13 May
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2 Jun
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17 May
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Pentecost
(la Pentecôte) |
27 May
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11 May
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31 May
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23 May
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12 Jun
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27 May
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Bastille Day
(Fête nationale) |
14 Jul
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14 Jul
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14 Jul
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14 Jul
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14 Jul
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14 Jul
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Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
Mary
(Assomption) |
15 Aug
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15 Aug
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15 Aug
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15 Aug
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15 Aug
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15 Aug
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All Saints Day
(La Toussaint) |
1 Nov
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1 Nov
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1 Nov
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1 Nov
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1 Nov
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1 Nov
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Armistice Day
(Jour d'armistice [1918]) |
11 Nov
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11 Nov
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11 Nov
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11 Nov
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11 Nov
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11 Nov
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Christmas Day
(Noël) |
25 Dec
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25 Dec
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25 Dec
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25 Dec
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25 Dec
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25 Dec
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The following are traditional holidays. Those in bold type
are the eleven Public National Holidays (jours fériés)
in France.
| 1 January |
Jour de l'An |
New Year's Day |
| 6 January |
Epiphanie |
Epiphany - Commemorating the (entirely
unbiblical) arrival of the three kings. |
| 14 February |
Saint-Valentin |
St Valentine's Day |
| 40 days before Easter |
Mardi Gras |
literally "Fat Tuesday" - Shrove Tuesday
or Pancake Day |
| Easter |
Pâques |
The first Sunday after the first full-moon
after the Spring Equinox. |
| 1 April |
Poisson d'Avril |
April Fool's Day |
| 1 May |
Fête du Travail |
Workers' Day (cf US Labor Day), May Day
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| 8 May |
Fête de la Libération
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(Commemorating the end of WW II in Europe,
1945) |
| 40 days after Easter |
Ascension |
Commemorating the ascension of JC into
heaven, an improbable event tacked onto some fourth century
versions of some gospels. |
| 50 days after Easter |
Pentecôte |
Whit Sunday (Pentecost) |
| 14 July |
Fête nationale |
Bastille Day, commemorating the storming
of the Bastille in 1789. Click on the following link to
learn more about Bastille
Day
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| 15 August |
Assomption |
Commemorating the bodily Assumption (of
the BV Mary into Heaven, despite thousands of her miracle-working
bones still kept in hundreds of Churches) |
| 1 November |
Toussaint |
All Saints' Day - just in case any of them
get forgotten |
| 11 November |
Fête de la Victoire |
Armistice Day (Commemorating the end of
WW I in 1918) |
| 25 December |
Noël |
Christmas Day - a rebranded day of Sol
Invictus, Mithras and other sun gods. |
Click here for more about the
contradiction of a nominally secular state celebrating Christian
festivals
School holidays and vacations for every region of France
for the current academic year and the next three years. (in
French only) School
Holidays
The development of French holiday traditions over the centuries,
and how many of these customs were imported to the new world.
Christmas Traditions in France & Canada
Collection of links to sites on French leisure, festivals,
and religious celebrations. Francophone
Holidays & Traditions
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 Back
to French National Holidays. |
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