Lesser-Known National Holidays

Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)

This moveable feast became controversial when designated a "solidarity day" after the 2003 heatwave. While technically a working day to fund elderly care, many sectors maintain it as a holiday, creating annual confusion that itself has become tradition.

All Saints' Day (1er novembre)

Though religious in origin, Toussaint has become a secular occasion for honoring the deceased. Families tend graves, depositing chrysanthemums in a ritual that unites believers and non-believers in remembrance.