Celebrating Being French; It’s Confusing!

The French love to be celebrated and it doesn’t matter what Country you are in they both love to celebrate. The issue is that the French Holidays in Quebec often get mixed with French Holidays in France, it can get confusing.

In Quebec we celebrate Sainte Jean Baptiste Day which falls on June 24th each year. This holiday marks the Summer Solstice and honours John the Baptist or Sainte Jean Baptiste and was made an official holiday in 1925 in the Province. The day is usually celebrated much like any national holiday with parties, fireworks, parades, and often overshadows Canada Day in the Province.

In France they celebrate St. Bastille Day which falls on July 14th each year and is France’s biggest Holiday. The event commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789 which sparked the French Revolution. Bastille was a political prison in Paris France.

With so many French Holidays falling so close together it can get confusing. Add in Canada Day and Independence Day and Summer becomes one long celebration, I hope you had a good time. To show you how the Holidays can get mixed together here is what happened at a recent event my husband attended.

He was performing at a seniors home in Ontario here and the event fell on June 24th, Sainte Jean Baptiste Day. When he arrived the event had been decorated in the colours of France and the promotional materials showed St. Bastille Day. When he mentioned to the person in charge it was Sainte Jean Baptiste Day for Quebec she admitted that she got confused and turned it into a basic presentation about France in general.

I am sure this happens often especially if people are looking up information on the Internet not understanding the difference in Countries. Whichever Holiday you are celebrating we hope you enjoyed it and if attending please understand the difference as both Holidays are for very different reasons in different countries.

About the Author

Carmen Outridge is a Quebec born translation expert located in Ontario Canada. Outridge Translation offers translation services from English to French for the Quebec market. You can learn more about Outridge Translation Services at www.outridgetranslation.com