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Easter

Easter 2026 and 2027

The main Easter public holiday in France is Easter Monday, which provides a long Spring weekend for people across the nation to enjoy amidst their family gatherings, travel and religious observances. In Alsace and Moselle, Good Friday is also observed as an official holiday.

The date of Easter Sunday in 2025 is 20 April, with Good Friday  being observed two days earlier on 18 April. In 2026, Easter Sunday will be observed earlier in the month on 5 April.

YearDateDayHoliday
20263 AprFriGood Friday *
6 AprMonEaster Monday
202726 MarFriGood Friday *
29 MarMonEaster Monday
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

*Good Friday is observed in Alsace and Moselle only.

The date of Easter is calculated according to the lunar cycle and therefore the date differs each year on the Gregorian calendar. The dating method for Easter was formalised in the 4th century, with Easter Sunday determined to be the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the ecclesiastical vernal equinox (always 21 March). This means that Easter Sunday falls anywhere from 22 March to 25 April, and it’s the reason why Easter occurs so late in 2025 compared to other years.

Only a small fraction of the population of France attends Mass on a weekly basis, however a majority still identify as Catholic and many centuries-old Easter traditions persist to this day. These traditions centre on Holy Week, which stretches from the Triumphal Entry a week before Easter, to Good Friday when Christ was crucified, and finally, to Easter Sunday itself when Christ arose bodily from the grave.

The silencing of church bells across France is an especially poignant tradition that stretches back to the 7th century. There are 87 Catholic cathedrals in France as well approximately 45,000 Catholic church buildings, and the bells of these churches are usually heard ringing several times a day throughout the year.

However, these church bells fall silent on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, creating a somber atmosphere in public places where the bells would normally be heard.

Children are told that the bells have flown to Rome to see the Pope. Only at dawn on Easter Sunday morning do the bells ring again to celebrate the resurrection. Greetings of “Joyeuses Pâques! can be heard, meaning “Happy Easter!”, and children respond to the sound of the bells by hunting for chocolate Easter eggs that the Easter Bells have hidden as they returned from Rome.

Previous Years

YearDateDayHoliday
202518 AprFriGood Friday *
21 AprMonEaster Monday
202429 MarFriGood Friday *
1 AprMonEaster Monday