France Religious Days 2026 — Christian Feast Calendar

All Saints' Day falls on November 1, 2026 (Sunday).

All Saints' Day on 1 November honours all Christian saints, known and unknown. In France it is the Toussaint and a public holiday. Families visit cemeteries and place chrysanthemums on graves — the chrysanthemum has become so associated with mourning that giving one as a gift on another occasion is considered bad luck. The school autumn half-term traditionally falls around this day.

Christmas Day falls on December 25, 2026 (Friday).

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth on 25 December. In France the réveillon dinner on Christmas Eve, decorated fir trees, and midnight Mass are the central traditions. While the religious and secular dimensions coexist, Christmas Eve Mass at Notre-Dame de Paris — rebuilt after the 2019 fire — draws thousands of worshippers and visitors alike.

Assumption of Mary falls on August 15, 2026 (Saturday).

The Assumption of Mary marks the belief — defined as Catholic dogma in 1950 — that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life. 15 August is a public holiday in France, a country with thousands of Notre-Dame churches. Many towns hold processions and solemn Masses. The date also coincides with Napoleon's birthday: born in Corsica on 15 August 1769.

Corpus Christi falls on June 4, 2026 (Thursday).

Corpus Christi celebrates the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, sixty days after Easter — always a Thursday. In many Catholic countries elaborate processions wind through streets carpeted with flower petals. In France it is not a public holiday; in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and most Spanish-speaking countries it is.

Whit Monday falls on May 25, 2026 (Monday).

Whit Monday is the day after Pentecost Sunday and is a public holiday in France (lundi de Pentecôte). In 2004 the French government controversially attempted to convert it into a working 'solidarity day' to fund elder care, following the 2003 heat wave. The policy remains legally in force but is applied inconsistently — most employees still rest.

Pentecost falls on May 24, 2026 (Sunday).

Pentecost falls on the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday and celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. It is often called the birthday of the Church. In France the Sunday is Pentecôte — a significant feast — though it is the following Monday (lundi de Pentecôte) that is the public holiday in the secular calendar.

The main Christian religious days in France are Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Assumption, All Saints' Day and Christmas; the full list is shown above.

Easter is the Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox, so its date shifts each year. Ascension and Pentecost are also set relative to Easter.