Festivals & Public Holidays
Throughout the year, there are numerous religious and historical festivals in France. Some are public holidays (jours fériés), others are simply traditions. The celebration of most of these days usually involves some gastronomic element; after all, this is France!
New Year's Day (jour de l'an) is a public holiday. The réveillon de la Saint Sylvestre (the evening of December 31) is celebrated with family and friends, either at home or in a restaurant. The first of January is essentially a day of rest to recover from the previous night's festivities. The French exchange New Year greetings. This is either done by telephone or by sending a card any time during the month of January.
Epiphany (la Fête des Rois) is a religious festival. Special cakes called galettes des rois are sold in bakeries; they contain a small surprise (usually a figurine) called a fève. The person finding the fève is crowned King or Queen for the day with a paper crown that comes with the cake.
Candlemas or Lady Day (la Chandeleur) is a traditional festival of religious origins. The tradition is to eat crèpes on this day.
Valentine's Day (la Saint Valentin) is the day for lovers. Small presents and cards are sometimes be exchanged.
A religious festival, the last Tuesday before the start of Lent (Shrove Tuesday). It is celebrated by fancy dress parades, carnivals, and by eating bugnes (once again, the term "doughnuts" doesn't do bugnes justice...) The carnival of Nice takes place around that time of year (February).
A day of fun when people play tricks on their friends. Children try to pin paper fish (poissons d'avril ) on the back of passers-by.
(Easter) is a religious (Christian) holiday celebrating the resurrection of Christ. The traditional dish is lamb, and chocolates are given as presents. Children search for chocolate eggs which the adults have hidden in the gardens. The following day, Easter Monday (le lundi de Pâques) is a public holiday, though Good Friday (Vendredi Saint) is not observed in France.
Labor Day (la fête du travail) is a historical holiday commemorating the 1936 socialist government of the Front Populaire. It is symbolized by giving bunches of muguet (Lily of the Valley) purchased from street vendors to friends and family members.
The Victoire 1945 is a historical holiday commemorating the end of World War II in Europe.
Ascension Day is a religious holiday celebrating the Ascension of Christ. It is observed on the 5th Thursday after Easter.
Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday in May, unless a different holiday falls on that day; in that case, Mother's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in June. Note that the French celebrate Mother's Day on a different day than most other countries. Father's day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June.
Pentecost (or Whit Sunday) is a religious (Christian) holiday celebrated ten days after l'Ascension in late May or early June, commemorates the passing of Christ's Holy Spirit to his apostles. The following day) is a public holiday.
Since 2005, the Monday after Pentecost is no longer an official public holiday although it would seem that the French have chosen to ignore this fact as schools, government offices and many businesses still close on that day. It is now seen more as a ‘voluntary’ public holiday.
The Fête de la musique is a recent (1982) festival introduced by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the start of summer. In the evening, streets are alive with professional and amateur musicians; concerts go on well into the night.
La Fête National, France's national holiday. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille by the people during the French Revolution in 1789. The day is celebrated with military parades, concerts, dances, and fireworks. There is a particularly spectacular (and crowded!) fireworks display on the sea front in Cannes.
The Assomption is a religious (Christian) holiday commemorating the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
La Toussaint (All Saints Day) is the festival of the dead. Traditionally, one visits cemetaries and places pots of chrysanthemums on the graves of family members.
l'Armistice 1918 (Armistice Day 1918) is a historical holiday commemorating the end of the First World War.
Noël (Christmas) is a religious (Christian) holiday celebrating the birth of Christ. The celebration begins the evening before with the réveillon de Noël. Family gather around a particularly festive and rich meal; for some, this is followed by attending la messe de minuit (Midnight Mass) in church. Children receive their presents (that have been left under the Christmas tree by le Père Noël during the night) on Christmas morning. Note that the French do not normally exchange Christmas cards