Editing Culture of France (section)

==Holidays==
{{Main|Public holidays in France}}
Despite the principles of ''laïcité'' and the separation of church from state, public and school holidays in France generally follow the Roman Catholic religious calendar (including Easter, Christmas, [[Ascension Day]], [[Pentecost]], [[Assumption of Mary]], [[All Saints Day]], etc.). Labor Day and the National Holiday are the only business holidays determined by government statute; the other holidays are granted by ''convention collective'' (agreement between employers' and employees' unions) or by agreement of the employer.

The five holiday periods of the public school year<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.education.gouv.fr/pid184/le-calendrier-scolaire.html|title=Le calendrier scolaire|website=Education.gouv.fr|access-date=21 August 2017}}</ref> are:
* the ''vacances de la Toussaint'' ([[All Saints Day]]) – two weeks starting near the end of October.
* the ''vacances de Noël'' (Christmas) – two weeks, ending after [[New Years]].
* the ''vacances d'hiver'' (winter) – two weeks in February and March.
* the ''vacances de printemps'' (spring), formerly ''vacances de Pâques'' (Easter) – two weeks in April and May.
* the ''vacances d'été'' (summer), or ''grandes vacances'' (literally: big holidays) – two months in July and August.

On 1 May, Labour Day (''La Fête du Travail'') the French give flowers of [[Lily of the Valley]] (Le Muguet) to one another.

The National holiday (called [[Bastille Day]] in English) is on 14 July. Military parades, called [[Bastille Day Military Parade|Défilés du 14 juillet]], are held, the largest on the [[Champs-Élysées]] avenue in Paris in front of the [[President of France|President of the Republic]].

On 2 November, [[All Souls Day]] (''La Fête des morts''), the French traditionally bring [[chrysanthemum]]s to the tombs of departed family members.

On 11 November, [[Remembrance Day]] (''Le Jour de la Commémoration'' or ''L' Armistice'') is an official holiday.

Christmas is generally celebrated in France on Christmas Eve by a traditional meal (typical dishes include [[oyster]]s, [[boudin blanc]] and the [[bûche de Noël]]), by opening presents and by attending the [[midnight mass]] (even among Catholics who do not attend church at other times of the year).

[[Presentation of Jesus at the Temple|Candlemas]] (''La Chandeleur'') is celebrated with [[crêpe]]s. The popular saying is that if the cook can flip a crêpe singlehandedly with a coin in the other hand, the family is assured of prosperity throughout the coming year.

The Celtic holiday [[Halloween]], which is popular throughout the [[English-speaking world]], has grown in popularity following its introduction in the mid-1990s by the trade associations. The growth seems to have stalled during the following decade.