Hmmm…let’s think about this…
France is a deeply secular country. They lean towards “anti-religion” in their stance to keep religion completely separate from the state. The Revolution of 1787 aimed to decimate the Church and destroy all of its power (long story there, corruption on both sides), and France even abducted Popes from Rome – twice!
The French version of separation of church and state, called laïcité, is a product of French history and philosophy. The 1905 law even included removal of priests from the administrative committees of hospitals and boards of charity and the substitution of lay women for nuns in hospitals.
But wait a minute! When it comes to church-related HOLIDAYS — now THAT’S different! DON’T MESS WITH OUR FEDERAL DAYS OFF OF WORK – of which many are completely religious in nature! 8 of the 13 national holidays in France are deeply rooted in the Christian church.
• 19 April: Good Friday (Alsace)
• 22 April: Easter Monday
• 30 May: Ascension of Christ Day (40 days after Easter)
• 10 June: Whit Monday – also known as Pentecost Monday
• 15 August: Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• 1 November: All Saints’ Day (La Toussaint)
• 25 December: Christmas Day (Noël)
• 26 December: Boxing Day/St Stephen’s Day (Deuxième jour de Noël)
So – no to religious presence in business or government (including Christian cross jewelry or Jewish skullcaps) – but YES to religious federal holidays!
Just an observation…no deep philosophical argument hiding within THIS blog!
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So you know about the fire at Notre Dame – the whole world watched as the most iconic symbol of France burned. The cathedral is a national treasure and, rightly so, people were aghast at the damage.
What you might NOT know is that all distances in France are measured from Notre Dame Cathedral! There is a small circular “marker with an eight-pointed bronze star embedded in the cobblestones. It’s engraved with the words Point zéro des routes de France, and is the point from which distances are measured from Paris to other cities in France.” And underneath it are architectural ruins found in the 1960s when building for an underground parking garage was underway. Read more here.
Cool, huh? Now you are ready for “Trivial Pursuit – France!”
Bises,
Mindy
PS – It’s hot. It’s July. French air conditioning – which we didn’t have last summer, due to a delay of 10 weeks in repairing! – just ‘ain’t like home.’ Men sweat. Women ‘glow.’ It’s going to be 100 degrees again next week…#glowinggirl
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