Les Fêtes et Traditions — French holidays | Vocabulary
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The French calendar of celebrations. This French calendar celebrations vocabulary list gives you 14 essential words — from Noël (Christmas (25 déc.)) to le 11 Novembre (Armistice Day) — each with audio and its English translation. Use it to build the French words you need to talk about calendar celebrations, then test yourself with the games below.
Les Fêtes et Traditions
The French calendar of celebrations
L’hiver ❄️
Le printemps 🌷
L’été & l’automne ☀️🍂
🎬 The 20-second version
5 quick questions on « Les Fêtes et Traditions » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 Wishing & celebrating like a local
- The magic verb is souhaiter (to wish): je te souhaite un joyeux Noël.
- Fixed greetings — learn them as blocks: Joyeux Noël · Bonne année · Joyeuses Pâques · Bon anniversaire · Bonne fête.
- La Galette des Rois: whoever finds the fève (charm) is king/queen for the day — a beloved January ritual.
- On 1er mai, the French give muguet (lily of the valley) for luck.
- Le 14 Juillet = feux d’artifice (fireworks) + défilé (parade) + bal des pompiers (firefighters’ dance).
🔊 Useful phrases
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
Happy new year = Bonne ___ ! (NYE)
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année
the verb to wish = ___ (greetings)
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souhaiter
Bastille Day = le ___ Juillet (national day)
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14
🎮 Practise this with games
🎯 More practice — vocabulary recall — both directions
How do you say « Christmas »? (recall)
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Noël
What does « le réveillon » mean? (recall)
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Christmas / NYE dinner
How do you say « New Year »? (recall)
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le Nouvel An
What does « la Galette des Rois » mean? (recall)
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Kings’ cake
How do you say « Candlemas — crêpe day »? (recall)
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la Chandeleur
What does « la Saint-Valentin » mean? (recall)
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Valentine’s Day
How do you say « April Fools’ »? (recall)
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le Poisson d’avril
What does « Pâques » mean? (recall)
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Easter
Go further: Moving to France — the language survival guide.
French calendar celebrations vocabulary — FAQ
How do you say common calendar celebrations words in French?
For example: Christmas (25 déc.) is « Noël », Christmas / NYE dinner is « le réveillon », New Year (1er janv.) is « le Nouvel An ». The full list above has 14 French calendar celebrations words, each with audio so you can hear the pronunciation.
What are the most useful French calendar celebrations words to learn first?
Start with the basics: Noël (Christmas (25 déc.)), le réveillon (Christmas / NYE dinner), le Nouvel An (New Year (1er janv.)), la Galette des Rois (Kings’ cake (6 janv.)), la Chandeleur (Candlemas — crêpe day (2 févr.)), la Saint-Valentin (Valentine’s Day). Master these core French words before moving on to the rest of the list.
How can I memorise French calendar celebrations vocabulary?
Learn the words in small themed groups, say each one out loud with the audio, and use it in a short sentence about your own life. Spaced repetition is what makes new vocabulary stick — see our guide to learning French vocabulary that sticks.
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