Les Fêtes
un défilé (militaire)
(military) parade
La Toussaint, le 1er Novembre
All saint's day (National Holiday) They may also visit cemeteries and place flowers on the graves of deceased family members and close friends. It is customary to leave chrysanthemums or wreaths of artificial flowers on or close to the graves. All Saints' Day is also an opportunity for many people to spend time with family members and close friends. This holiday falls during the autumn (fall) school holidays, it is a popular time for families to take a short vacation or to visit relatives living in other areas.
Le premier avril
April Fools Day! Not much different from our version. The biggest difference is that the french pin fish ("poisson d'avril") to each other's backs.
Poisson d'avril!
April fools!
l'Armistice, le 11 novembre
Armistice day, the day in which World War 1 ended (the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th hour!) (National Holiday)
l'Ascenscion
Ascension day- a christian holiday which commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. National Holiday.
La fête nationale, le 14 juillet
Bastille Day, French independence day- Similar to our 4th of July. Celebrated with food, family, friends, and parades (défilés)(National Holiday)
Meilleurs voeux!
Best wishes!
des feux d'artifice
fireworks
un cadeau
gift
une carte de voeux
greeting card
Bon (joyeux) anniversaire!
happy birthday!
des blagues
jokes
le muguet
lily of the valley (for Labor day)
faire le point
literally "to make a bridge". The French often take an extra day off from work when a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday. If the holiday falls on Tuesday, they take Monday off, if it falls on Thursday, they take Friday off.
la messe
mass
le gui
mistletoe
la crèche
nativity
un pique-nique
picnic
le sabbat/ le shabbat
sabbath
une fête
saint's day, celebration, party
le 15 août, l'Assomption
the feast of the Assumption- the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. (National Holiday)
souffler
to blow out (candles)
célébrer
to celebrate
réveillonner
to celebrate Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve
donner
to give
offrir
to give
inviter
to invite
plaisanter
to joke
ouvrir
to open
faire la fête
to party
faire un poisson d'avril
to play a joke (on someone)
recevoir
to receive
les noces
wedding
un anniversaire de mariage
wedding anniversary
la Chandeleur (le 2 février)
Candlemas- the French celebrate by making crêpes! it is essentially a catholic feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. Despite the fact that it is, at its root, a religious holiday, the French have secularized it with the crêpe flipping tradition: "It is traditional to hold a coin in your writing hand and a crêpe pan in the other, and flip the crêpe into the air. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year".
Hanouka
Chanukah- an 8 day celebration in December. Each day a candle is lit during dinner.
le réveillon
Christmas eve or New year's eve party (because they stay awake most of the night)
le sapin de Noël
Christmas tree
Noël
Christmas- many celebrate by going to "messe de minuit" or midnight mass after eating a large dinner of various delicacies. Presents are brought by "père Noël" on the 24th.
Pâques
Easter- a christian holiday. In France, instead of the Easter bunny, all the French bells go to Rome on Good Friday and then come back with chocolate for children on Easter.
La fête des pères
Father's day- the third sunday of June.
Halloween
Halloween! Not as widely celebrated as in the US, but people are aware of it.
Joyeuses Pâques!
Happy Easter!
Bonne Année!
Happy New Year!
Bonne fête!
Happy name day!/Happy Saint's day!
La fête du travail, le 1er mai
Labor day, no work because it's a national holiday. People are given "les mugets" or lily of the valley.
le Carnaval (Mardi Gras)
Mardi Gras, pancake day, carnival, "fat tuesday"-the day before Ash Wednesday, in which one feasts before going into Lent (le Carême).
Joyeux Noël!
Merry Christmas!
La fête des mères
Mother's day- the last sunday of May. Mother's are given flowers, cards, etc.
Les jours fériés (*)
National Holidays (*)
Le Saint-Sylvestre
New Year's Eve- usually celebrated with a feast, called le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre. The feast tends to include special items like champagne and foie gras, and the accompanying party can range from an intimate dinner with friends to une soirée dansante (ball).
le Jour de l'An (le premier janvier *)
New years day (a national holiday, so most business and schools are closed)
La Pâque Juive/ Pessach
Passover- The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. It commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. During these eight days, people are forbidden to eat foods that are leavened (bread, etc).
La Pentecôte
Pentecost- 7 sundays after Easter, a feast commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ (120 in all), as described in the Acts of the Apostles 2:1-31.[1] For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described by some Christians today as the "Birthday of the Church".
le Ramadan
Ramadan- un mois de jeûne (a month of fasting). During the day nobody eats or drinks anything, but at sundown there is always a feast and a celebration.
le Père Noël
Santa Claus, Father Christmas
l'épiphanie (le 6 janvier)
Three kings day- when the three kings visit Jesus twelve days after his birth. In France, it is celebrated with a "galette de rois" in which there is a tiny little figurine baked inside. Whoever receives the piece of cake with the little person gets to be king for the day and buys the cake the next year.
Le 8 mai, la fête de la victoire
VE Day, Victory day in Europe, a national holiday as well
la Saint-Valentin (14/2)
Valentine's day
la bûche de noël
Yule log (cake in the shape of a yule log)
un anniversaire
birthday, anniversary
un gâteau
cake
une bougie
candle
fêter
celebrate
une cérémonie
ceremony
le champagne
champagne
des costumes
costumes
des crêpes
crepes