Francophone Holidays

On April 1st, French people celebrate April Fool’s day. But their way of celebration is

different from how people in the US celebrate. In France, people prank their friends, families, or

teachers by sticking a cardboard fish on their back when they’re not paying attention. Kids at

school especially enjoying doing this trick to their teachers. The teachers often would pretend

they didn’t notice the fish on the back to entertain the kids. In the US, the cardboard fish trick is

not particularly popular, but people create their own ways to prank others, and things they do are

not limited. I’ve had teachers coming to class and tell us that there would be a test, and after

everyone started to panic, they laughed and said, “happy April Fool’s Day!”

French people celebrate the first day of new year (January 1st) by staying home instead of

working, and writing greeting cards to friends and families to wish them a happy new year. In

the US, people also often stay home for the first day of the new year and have a day off from

work. But people in the US don’t tend to write greeting cards on that specific day. Cards and

presents that wish people to have a good new year are often sent out around Christmas or after

January 1st. There’s less a habbit for American people to stay home and write greeting cards for

new year on a specific day. But people in the US do tend to spend the first day of new year with

their family, cooking, watching movies or visiting friends together. Perhaps the equivalence of

French people writing greeting cards in the US is calling friends on the first day of new year and

wishing them a happy new year.

For birthdays, French people usually have their friends organizing birthday parties for

them. They would bring cakes with candles on them. After people with birthdays blows of the

candles, their friends give them presents. People in the US pretty much celebrate birthdays the

same way. Although there are many variations on birthday cakes: some people substitute them
with cupcakes if they don’t want to eat the whole cake; some people even use ice cream if they

favor ice cream over cakes. It’s also common in the US for people to organize their own

birthday parties instead of having their friends do it. People would invite friends over to their

houses, and they would prepare food, drinks, and cake for visitors. And of course friends would

often come with birthday presents.

France’s Independence Day is on July 14th. This day remembers the Storming of the

Bastille in French revolution in 1789. On this day, French people watch a big military parade at

Champs-Élysées. In the evening, there are fireworks for people to enjoy. In The US, the

Independece Day is celebrated on the 4th of July. Similar to French’s ways of celebration, people

in the US would watch military parade on TV in the morning. They also often visit their family

and party with friends and families. People usually decorate their houses with Independence

Day themed party decors, and dress in the color of their national flag—blue, white, and red. At

night, there are fireworks organized by local businesses. People can go out for a picnic dinner in

the park or by the lake with families and watch the beautiful fireworks later.

For Christmas, French people gather with family in the morning, and they open their

Christmas presents also in the morning. Kids would find presents left by Santa Clause under

Christmas tree or in their shoes. French families also eat a very long Christmas dinner together

that start in the morning. In the US, people sometimes would also exchange gifts on Christmas

Eve in their own homes with their husband or wife and their children, and on Christmas day they

would go to grand parents’ house and exchange presents with the rest of the family. It’s

common for US families to gather for Christmas breakfast early in the morning, and then eat

Christmas dinner in the afternoon. They also like watching classic Christmas movies together

for celebration.