{"id":64,"date":"2026-09-30T14:54:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leweb2ks.dev\/vitrine-vocadial\/en\/resources\/french-festivals\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T14:54:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T13:54:31","slug":"french-festivals","status":"publish","type":"vd_ressource","link":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/resources\/french-festivals\/","title":{"rendered":"French festivals and public holidays: dates and traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"public-holidays-and-traditions\">Public holidays and traditions<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">French pupils distinguish <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">un jour f\u00e9ri\u00e9<\/span> (a public holiday, when schools and most offices close) from a tradition that is celebrated on a normal working day. Unlike Spain, France sets its holidays nationally, with two exceptions:<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Alsace and Moselle<\/strong> have two extra holidays: Good Friday and 26 December (<span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la Saint-\u00c9tienne<\/span>).<\/li><li><strong>Overseas departments<\/strong> each have a holiday for the abolition of slavery, on different dates: for example 22 May in Martinique and 20 December in La R\u00e9union.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When a holiday falls on a Thursday, many people take the Friday off: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">faire le pont<\/span>, &#8220;to make a bridge&#8221;. Ascension Day is always a Thursday, so the <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">pont de l&#8217;Ascension<\/span> is a fixture of the French calendar.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-calendar-month-by-month\">The calendar, month by month<\/h2>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table vocab\"><table><thead><tr><th>Date<\/th><th>Festival<\/th><th>Status<\/th><th>What happens<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>1 January<\/td><td>le jour de l&#8217;An<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>New Year&#8217;s Day; people exchange <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">v\u0153ux<\/span> (New Year wishes) all month<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>6 January, or the Sunday between 2 and 8 January<\/td><td>l&#8217;\u00c9piphanie<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>the <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">galette des rois<\/span>: whoever finds the <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">f\u00e8ve<\/span> is king or queen for the day<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>2 February<\/td><td>la Chandeleur<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>everyone makes cr\u00eapes<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>February or March<\/td><td>Mardi gras<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>carnival, fancy dress, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">beignets<\/span>; big carnivals in Nice and Dunkirk<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>14 February<\/td><td>la Saint-Valentin<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>Valentine&#8217;s Day<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>1 April<\/td><td>le poisson d&#8217;avril<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>pranks; children stick paper fish on people&#8217;s backs<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>March or April<\/td><td>P\u00e2ques, le lundi de P\u00e2ques<\/td><td>Easter Monday is a public holiday<\/td><td>the bells (<span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">les cloches<\/span>) fly back from Rome and drop chocolate eggs<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>1 May<\/td><td>la f\u00eate du Travail<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>people give lily of the valley, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">le muguet<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>8 May<\/td><td>la Victoire de 1945<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>end of the Second World War in Europe<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Thursday, 39 days after Easter<\/td><td>l&#8217;Ascension<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>a long weekend<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Monday, 50 days after Easter<\/td><td>le lundi de Pentec\u00f4te<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>may be a working day for some employees, the <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">journ\u00e9e de solidarit\u00e9<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>last Sunday of May, or first Sunday of June<\/td><td>la f\u00eate des M\u00e8res<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>Mother&#8217;s Day<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>third Sunday of June<\/td><td>la f\u00eate des P\u00e8res<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>Father&#8217;s Day<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>21 June<\/td><td>la F\u00eate de la musique<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>free concerts in the streets, all evening<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>14 July<\/td><td>la f\u00eate nationale, le 14 Juillet<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>military parade on the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es, fireworks, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">bals des pompiers<\/span><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>15 August<\/td><td>l&#8217;Assomption<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>the heart of the summer holidays<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>third weekend of September<\/td><td>les Journ\u00e9es du patrimoine<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>historic buildings open to the public<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>1 November<\/td><td>la Toussaint<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>families put chrysanthemums on graves<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>11 November<\/td><td>l&#8217;Armistice de 1918<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td>remembrance; the <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">bleuet<\/span> (cornflower) plays the role of the poppy<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>6 December<\/td><td>la Saint-Nicolas<\/td><td>tradition in the north and east<\/td><td>gifts and gingerbread for children, especially in Lorraine and Alsace<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>around 8 December<\/td><td>la F\u00eate des lumi\u00e8res<\/td><td>local tradition (Lyon)<\/td><td>candles on window sills and light shows<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>24 December<\/td><td>le r\u00e9veillon de No\u00ebl<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>Christmas Eve dinner<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>25 December<\/td><td>No\u00ebl<\/td><td>public holiday<\/td><td><span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">le P\u00e8re No\u00ebl<\/span>, the <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">b\u00fbche de No\u00ebl<\/span>; thirteen desserts in Provence<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>31 December<\/td><td>la Saint-Sylvestre<\/td><td>tradition<\/td><td>New Year&#8217;s Eve party; a kiss under the mistletoe at midnight<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Good Friday and Boxing Day are not public holidays in most of France: a common surprise for British pupils.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-moveable-dates\">The moveable dates<\/h2>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list rules-list\"><li><strong>Easter Sunday.<\/strong> The first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, as calculated by the Church. It falls between 22 March and 25 April.<\/li><li><strong>Mardi gras.<\/strong> 47 days before Easter Sunday: the same day as Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day in the UK. The French make pancakes too, but mostly at <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la Chandeleur<\/span>, on 2 February.<\/li><li><strong>Ascension and Pentecost.<\/strong> Ascension Day is the Thursday 39 days after Easter; Pentecost Sunday is 49 days after Easter, so Whit Monday is 50 days after.<\/li><li><strong>Mother&#8217;s Day.<\/strong> The last Sunday of May, except when it clashes with Pentecost: then it moves to the first Sunday of June. In the UK, Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent.<\/li><li><strong>Father&#8217;s Day.<\/strong> The third Sunday of June, the same day as in the UK.<\/li><li><strong>The galette.<\/strong> The Church in France celebrates Epiphany on the Sunday between 2 and 8 January, and galettes are eaten throughout January. In the south, it is often a brioche ring, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la brioche des rois<\/span> or <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">le g\u00e2teau des rois<\/span>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-write-and-wish\">How to write and wish<\/h2>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list rules-list\"><li><strong>Capitals on the specific word.<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">No\u00ebl<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">P\u00e2ques<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la Toussaint<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la Chandeleur<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">le jour de l&#8217;An<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la f\u00eate du Travail<\/span>. French typography also capitalises the month in the name of a holiday: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">le 14 Juillet<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">le 11 Novembre<\/span>, but <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">le 14 juillet 2026<\/span> as an ordinary date.<\/li><li><strong>P\u00e2ques is feminine plural in wishes.<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Joyeuses P\u00e2ques !<\/span> But without an article, the day itself is masculine singular: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">\u00e0 P\u00e2ques<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">P\u00e2ques prochain<\/span>.<\/li><li><strong>The usual wishes.<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Bonne ann\u00e9e !<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Joyeux No\u00ebl !<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Joyeuses f\u00eates !<\/span>, <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Bonne f\u00eate !<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n<p class=\"note wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Bastille Day&#8221; is an English name. The French say <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">le 14 Juillet<\/span> or <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la f\u00eate nationale<\/span>. And <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Bonne f\u00eate !<\/span> also celebrates name days: French calendars give a saint for each day, so on 6 December, every Nicolas gets a <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Bonne f\u00eate !<\/span><\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Across the French-speaking world<\/h3>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Belgium: national day on 21 July; <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la Saint-Nicolas<\/span> (6 December) is a major children&#8217;s festival.<\/li><li>Switzerland: national day on 1 August.<\/li><li>Quebec: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la F\u00eate nationale du Qu\u00e9bec<\/span>, or <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la Saint-Jean-Baptiste<\/span>, on 24 June; Canada Day on 1 July, which is also the traditional moving day in Quebec.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"typical-mistakes-of-english-speaking-learners\">Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners<\/h2>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>&#8220;Joyeux P\u00e2ques&#8221;:<\/strong> it is <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Joyeuses P\u00e2ques<\/span>.<\/li><li><strong>Assuming British holidays:<\/strong> no Good Friday, no Boxing Day, and no substitute days: French holidays keep their date, so one that falls on a Sunday is simply lost.<\/li><li><strong>Halloween instead of Toussaint:<\/strong> Halloween is known, but 1 November is a day for visiting graves.<\/li><li><strong>Capitals on months in dates:<\/strong> &#8220;le 3 Mai&#8221; as a date; only the holiday takes the capital.<\/li><li><strong>Pronunciation:<\/strong> <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">No\u00ebl<\/span> is &#8220;noh-EL&#8221; in two syllables; <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">P\u00e2ques<\/span> is one syllable, &#8220;pahk&#8221;; <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Toussaint<\/span> is &#8220;too-SA(N)&#8221;; <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Chandeleur<\/span> is &#8220;shah(n)-duh-LUR&#8221;.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"in-class-festivals-in-the-daily-routine\">In class: festivals in the daily routine<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Festivals give the date routine a cultural payoff: on the right day, the date leads straight into France.<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list steps-list\"><li>Start with the date: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Nous sommes le 2 f\u00e9vrier.<\/span><\/li><li>If it is a French festival or holiday, show its name and a picture: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Aujourd&#8217;hui, c&#8217;est la Chandeleur !<\/span><\/li><li>Share one fact in simple French: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">On mange des cr\u00eapes.<\/span><\/li><li>Ask <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">C&#8217;est un jour f\u00e9ri\u00e9 ?<\/span> Pupils decide: holiday or tradition.<\/li><li>Compare with the UK: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Et au Royaume-Uni ?<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is exactly what a daily routine does: the right cultural fact, on the right day, in a minute.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For longer projects: a galette in January (with the <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">f\u00e8ve<\/span> rules in French), cr\u00eapes with a coin in hand at <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la Chandeleur<\/span>, or a group presentation per month.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adapting to your class<\/h3>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list levels-list\"><li><b>A1<\/b>Name the day: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Aujourd&#8217;hui, c&#8217;est No\u00ebl.<\/span><\/li><li><b>A2<\/b>Describe it: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Le 14 Juillet, il y a un d\u00e9fil\u00e9 et des feux d&#8217;artifice.<\/span><\/li><li><b>B1<\/b>Tell a memory: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">L&#8217;ann\u00e9e derni\u00e8re, j&#8217;ai trouv\u00e9 la f\u00e8ve !<\/span><\/li><li><b>B2<\/b>Compare and argue: <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">Je trouve dommage qu&#8217;on ne f\u00eate pas la Chandeleur ici.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At KS2, cr\u00eapes, galettes and chocolate bells go a long way. At KS3, use the calendar to revise dates and ordinals. At GCSE, festivals and traditions are a core cultural theme, ideal for comparisons with the UK.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jours f\u00e9ri\u00e9s and traditions, from the galette des rois to the 14 Juillet: exact dates, moveable feasts and French-speaking countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"menu_order":9,"template":"","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"French Festivals and Public Holidays | VocaDial","_seopress_titles_desc":"French festivals in calendar order: the 11 public holidays, traditions like la Chandeleur and the galette des rois, Easter-based dates, and class ideas.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"_vd_topic":"fetes","_vd_target":"fr","_vd_module":"dias","_vd_level":"A1\u2013B1","_vd_minutes":"8","_vd_card_word":"Chandeleur\u2026","_vd_answer":"France has 11 public holidays (<span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">jours f\u00e9ri\u00e9s<\/span>): 1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, 8 May, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, 14 July, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December. Many famous traditions, such as <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la Chandeleur<\/span> (2 February), <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la galette des rois<\/span> or <span class=\"tl\" lang=\"fr\">la F\u00eate de la musique<\/span> (21 June), are not public holidays.","_vd_faq":"[{\"q\":\"What are the public holidays in France?\",\"a\":\"1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, 8 May, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, 14 July, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December. Alsace and Moselle add Good Friday and 26 December.\"},{\"q\":\"What is Bastille Day called in French?\",\"a\":\"<span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"fr\\\">Le 14 Juillet<\\\/span> or <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"fr\\\">la f\u00eate nationale<\\\/span>. \\\"Bastille Day\\\" is only used in English.\"},{\"q\":\"When is Mother's Day in France?\",\"a\":\"On the last Sunday of May, or on the first Sunday of June when the last Sunday of May is Pentecost.\"},{\"q\":\"What is la Chandeleur?\",\"a\":\"A tradition on 2 February, when families make cr\u00eapes. It is not a public holiday.\"},{\"q\":\"Is Good Friday a holiday in France?\",\"a\":\"Only in Alsace and Moselle. In the rest of France, Easter Monday is the holiday.\"},{\"q\":\"What is the galette des rois?\",\"a\":\"A cake eaten for Epiphany in January. A small charm, the <span class=\\\"tl\\\" lang=\\\"fr\\\">f\u00e8ve<\\\/span>, is hidden inside; whoever finds it wears the crown.\"}]","_vd_key":"fetes-fr","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-64","vd_ressource","type-vd_ressource","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/vd_ressource"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vd_ressource\/64\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vocadial.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}