There are eleven official public holidays in France,[1] of which four are movable days which always fall on a weekday. The Alsace region and the Moselle department observe two additional days.[2] These holidays do not shift when they fall during a weekend,[3] which means that the average number of observed public holidays falling on weekdays (outside Alsace and Moselle) is 8.7 and ranges from seven to ten. Most Asian countries and all North American countries observe between two and ten more public holidays per year on weekdays.[4]
| Date | English name | Local name | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | French: Nouvel An | |||
| moveable | French: Vendredi Saint | Friday before Easter Sunday. Alsace and Moselle only.[5] | ||
| moveable | French: Lundi de Pâques | Monday after Easter Sunday (one day after Easter Sunday) | ||
| 1 May | French: Fête du Travail | |||
| 8 May | French: Victoire 1945 | End of hostilities in Europe in World War II | ||
| moveable | French: Ascension | Thursday, 39 days after Easter Sunday | ||
| moveable | French: Lundi de Pentecôte | Monday after Pentecost (50 days after Easter), observed only in some businesses, see notes | ||
| 14 July | French: Fête Nationale Française | French National Day, commemorates the Feast of the Federation | ||
| 15 August | French: Assomption | |||
| 1 November | French: Toussaint | |||
| 11 November | French: Armistice 1918 | End of World War I.[6] | ||
| 25 December | French: Noël | Newspapers are not published. Pubs, restaurants, shops, etc. closed all day by law. | ||
| 26 December | French: Saint Etienne | Alsace and Moselle only. |
May 27.[8]
22 May.[11]
9 October.[16]
28 May.[17]
Note: French law dictates that work should stop, but be paid only for the Fête du Travail (May Day, 1 May),[20] except in industries where it is infeasible to stop working.[21] The rest of the public holidays are listed in statute law,[22] but law does not dictate that work should stop; however a leave from work may be granted by the employer or by convention collective (agreement between employers' and employees' unions).
In 2005, French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin removed Pentecost (Whit) Monday's status as a public holiday. This decision was eventually overruled by French courts in 2008. Employers are free to decide whether to make Whit Monday a day off or not.[23]
An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations]
. J. Gordon. Melton. 13 September 2011. ABC-CLIO. Google Books.