France (Alsace & Moselle) : public and bank holidays, closure of banks, stock exchanges, school vacations

Catholic or protestant : Since pre-historic times in Europe, festivities (bonfires, offrerings) were marking the beginning of longer hours of daylight with fires and ritual. The Roman festival of Saturnalia lasted several days in December (gambling and offerings). Germanic tribes also celebrated mid-winter (drinking and rituals). The Bulgarian (with Koleduvane) and the Polish (with Gwiazdka) perpetuate this tradition. Jesus of Nazareth was probably born in springtime (Reformists favour autumn). But in the 4th century, December 25th was chosen for the celebration of his birth by Pope Julius I (Bishop Liberus is also mentioned in 354 A.D.). Thus, a Christian element was introduced in the long-established mid-winter festivals. Before 1582, the Papal States and other Italian city states celebrated New Year’s Day on Christmas Day.

Secular holiday : Alsace & Moselle constitute a unique regional entity in the French Republic due to the maintenance of the legal specificity acquired by these territories between 1871 to 1918, when they were German territories: legal agreement with the Vatican, specific academic system, railroad, social institutions etc. This local and unusual legal specificity within the framework of the French Republic was maintained because of a clear wish expressed by the Alsatian & Moselle populations when the territories reintegrated France after the Great War, as they were anxious to preserve their culture, regional idiosyncracy and their social specificities (like personal bankrupcy or specific public holidays).

Secular holiday : The world's most widely celebrated holiday, New Years was set on January 1 by Julius Caesar because that was the date the Roman consuls took over their duties. Paid holiday when falling on Saturday or Sunday

School holidays : Www.education.gouv.fr
Zone A: Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon, Poitiers
Zone B: Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, fusion des régions Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne-Ardenne, Nantes, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, Strasbourg
Zone C: Créteil, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse, Versailles
calendar issued by the Ministry of Education - no school on Wednesday afternoon, but sometimes on Saturday morning
all study programs are aligned with the requirements of the Bologna Process
Average class size: more than 25
Number of teaching days: 163
Average class size: more than 25
School day duration: 8:00 hours
PISA ranking (average 493): 495
Schooling is mandatory till age 16
number of instructional hours per year in lower secondary education: 620
No school on Wednesday afternoon & Saturday
Uniforms are not required, but religious dress of any kind is banned
QS Best Student Cities in Paris: #8
Paris-Saclay: Shanghai #1 (maths dept)
HEC Paris: #2 -- Financial Times ranking
Pierre and Marie Curie University - Paris ranking: Times Higher Education #--/QS ranking #131/Shanghai #39
Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL ranking: Times Higher Education #38/QS ranking #26

We carry confirmed dates till Aug 2026; Further dates are projected dates based on previous years

Please note that authorities may take last-minute decisions; please double-check if this information is vital to you

School holidays :

School holidays :

Catholic or protestant : The First Council of Nicaea (a gathering of bishops in the early days of Christianity) wanted to find a day to commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. This commemoration had to be linked to Jewish holiday traditions, since the last supper of Christ was believed to be a Jewish Passover meal. But the Jewish calendar is based on lunar and solar cycles, so the Easter celebration had to follow the same calendar.

Catholic or protestant : Not a paid holiday