PUBLIC HOLIDAY. The next holiday of the year 2023 is approaching. It is the Assumption, next August 15th. And after ? View all holiday dates below.
[Mis à jour le 3 août 2023 à 15h04] The year 2023, like the previous ones, has about ten public holidays. But this year, several dates on the calendar allow the French to take advantage of bridges and long weekends. And the next holiday, for the month of August, is that of the Assumption which falls on a Tuesday. The opportunity to pose one day less when taking your summer vacation.
The Assumption is a Christian holiday that celebrates the ascent into heaven of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ. On his site, the Catholic Church in France explains that the Assumption is a feast born in the East. It is celebrated on August 15, in reference to the consecration of a church for the Virgin Mary which took place on this date, in the 6th century. In the West, the Assumption was established by Pope Sergius I (687-701). August 15 is a public holiday pursuant to the decree of April 19, 1802 resulting from the Concordat and according to article 42 of the law of December 9, 1905 on the separation of Church and State.
Check the list of public holidays for 2023-2024 to find out when to go and download our calendar of School vacation 2023-2024 with public holidays. We also give you the list of the best days to ask the remaining months of the year 2023 to bridge and enjoy more holidays thanks to the holidays.
Consult the dates of the next 2023 public holidays in France, in order to better plan long weekends and possible bridges:
- Tuesday, August 15, 2023 : Assumption
- Wednesday, November 1, 2023 : Toussaint
- Saturday November 11, 2023 : 1918 Armistice
- Monday, December 25, 2023 : Christmas
What days to ask in 2023 to bridge the gap?
Two bridges are still possible in the 2023 public holiday calendar:
- Thanks to Tuesday August 15 of the Assumption, you will be able to ask the Monday, August 14, 2023 to enjoy a pleasant summer long weekend, especially if you are not on summer vacation at that time!
- If you want to ask two days in a row to make the bridge, in October, ask on Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 October, because All Saints Day falls on Wednesday 1 November. So you can enjoy the Halloween evening as it should be!
August 2023 will be marked by a single public holiday, August 15, Assumption Day, which falls on a Tuesday. If you are not on vacation, this will be the opportunity to pose on Monday August 14 in order to benefit from a 4-day weekend!
Here is the official calendar for the 2023-2024 school year which contains, in addition to the traditional holiday periods by zone, the dates of public holidays in France:
Consult the dates of the 11 public holidays in 2024 in France, in order to plan holidays well in advance!
- Monday, January 1, 2024 : New Year’s Day
- Monday, April 1, 2024 : Easter Monday
- Wednesday, May 1, 2024 : Labor Day
- Wednesday, May 8, 2024 : Armistice 1945
- Thursday, May 9, 2024 : Ascent
- Monday, May 20, 2024 : Pentecost Monday
- Sunday July 14, 2024 : National Holiday
- Thursday, August 15, 2024 : Assumption
- Friday, November 1, 2024 : Toussaint
- Monday, November 11, 2024 : 1918 Armistice
- Wednesday, December 25, 2024 : Christmas
How many public holidays are there in France each year?
Public holidays commemorate a civil or religious holiday or a significant event, the list of which is defined by the Labor Code. In France, the year has 11 public holidays, compared to 10 in Belgium, 12 in Spain and 9 in Germany. In Europe, Cypriots have the most public holidays with 15 days per year. Conversely, in the United Kingdom, there are only 8. These dates have been determined according to the history and culture of the country. There are therefore two types of public holidays, civil and religious.
There are 5 civil holidays: New Year’s Day since the 1st Empire in 1810, May 1 (Labor Day) declared non-working in 1919, May 8 which commemorates the capitulation of Germany, July 14 which celebrates the capture of the Bastille and who has been unemployed since July 6, 1880, and November 11, World War I Armistice Day. And 6 religious holidays: Assumption, Ascension, All Saints, Christmas, Pentecost and Easter are the 6 religious holidays in France.
The first four became public holidays from 1802 following the signing of the Concordat between Bonaparte and the papacy. Easter Monday and Pentecost Monday were added in 1886. Note: there are some local particularities: in Alsace-Moselle, Good Friday and December 26 are also public holidays and in the overseas departments, the abolition of slavery.
Are public holidays paid?
May 1, Labor Day, is in France the only day that companies must have a day off and be paid for (but there may be professions that make exceptions.) For other public holidays, the law provides that when day n is not working in a company, the employee must be paid from 3 months of seniority. If the public holiday is worked, the employer is not obliged to remunerate his employee more, on the other hand certain collective agreements provide for an increase.
It is therefore advisable to consult your collective agreement to find out your situation. With regard to bridges, there is no obligation for the employer to grant them. If the collective agreement does not specify this feature, the employer remains free to decide. In any case, he is not forced to pay his employee that day. On the other hand, the employer can impose a bridge on the employees.
Is a public holiday a day off?
A public holiday is not necessarily a day off (not worked). The employer has the right to ask his employee to work on a public holiday, with the exception of May 1, Labor Day. Indeed, May 1st is the only compulsory public holiday for all employees of all companies in France. It is therefore necessarily non-working and paid unlike other public holidays. But if May 1st falls on a usual rest day in the company (for example, a Sunday), it will not be paid and it does not give rise to the right to additional rest.