There are eleven official public holidays inFrance,[1] of which three are movable days which always fall on a weekday. TheAlsace region and theMoselle department observe two additional days.[2] These holidays do not shift when they fall during a weekend,[2] which means that the average number of observed public holidaysfalling on weekdays (outside Alsace and Moselle) is 8.7 and ranges from seven to ten. MostAsian countries and allNorth American countries observe between two and ten more public holidays per yearon weekdays.[3]
| Date | English name | Local name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Jour de l'An | |
| moveable | Good Friday | Vendredi saint | Friday before Easter Sunday.Alsace andMoselle only.[4] |
| moveable | Easter Monday | Lundi de Pâques | Monday after Easter Sunday (one day after Easter Sunday) |
| 1 May | Labour Day | Fête du Travail | |
| 8 May | Victory Day | Victoire 1945 | End of hostilities in Europe in World War II |
| moveable | Ascension Day | L'Ascension | Thursday, 39 days after Easter Sunday |
| moveable | Whit Monday | Lundi de Pentecôte | Monday after Pentecost (50 days after Easter), observed only in some businesses, see notes |
| 14 July | National Day | Fête nationale française | French National Day, commemorates theFeast of the Federation |
| 15 August | Assumption Day | L'Assomption | |
| 1 November | All Saints' Day | La Toussaint | |
| 11 November | Armistice Day | Armistice 1918 | End of World War I |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | Noël | Newspapers are not published. Pubs, restaurants, shops, etc. closed all day by law. |
| 26 December | Saint Stephen's Day | Saint Étienne | Alsace andMoselle only.[4] |
Note: French law dictates that work should stop, but be paid only for theFête du Travail (May Day, 1 May),[18] except in industries where it is infeasible to stop working.[19] The rest of the public holidays are listed in statute law,[20] but law does not dictate that work should stop; however a leave from work may be granted by the employer or byconvention collective, an agreement between employers' and employees'trade unions.
In 2005, French prime ministerJean-Pierre Raffarin removed Pentecost (Whit) Monday's status as a public holiday. This decision was eventually overruled by French courts in 2008.[citation needed] Employers are free to decide whether to make Whit Monday a day off or not.[21]