French bank holidays (Jours Fériés) for 2008

French bank holidays vary slightly from their British counterparts in that Boxing day isn't acknowledged and Good Friday isn't celebrated. However VE day and Armistice is, and of course Bastille Day is a hugely celebrated national holiday. If a bank holiday falls on a weekend (a day not usually worked, unless of course you work in a shop) it is normal for it to be forfiet, but if a bank holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many French will faire le pont, make a bridge from the bank holiday to the weekend (or vice versa) and take the middle day off giving 4 days holiday.

Date	English	French
Tuesday 1st January	New Years day	Jour de l’An
Sunday 23rd March	Easter Sunday	Pâques
Monday 24th March	Easter Monday	Lundi de Pâques
Thursday 1st May	Ascension and Labour day	Ascension et Fête du travail
Thursday 8th May	Victory in Europe (VE) day	Victoire 1945
Sunday 11th May	Pentecost	Pentecôte
Monday 14th July	Bastille Day	Fête nationale
Friday 15th August	Assumption day	Assomption
Saturday 1st November	All Saints Day	Toussaint
Tuesday 11th November	Armistice Day	Armistice 1918
Thursday 25th December	Christmas Day	Noël