Why is November 11 a public holiday in France? History and origins (2024)
Published byCaroline de Sortiraparis· Photos byCaroline de Sortiraparis· Published on November 6th, 2023 at 07:19 a.m.
Every year, France celebrates November 11th with a series of tributes and commemorations. But do you know why this historic date is a national holiday? We tell you.
In 2023, November 11 falls on a Saturday. This year, therefore, there will be no additional public holiday for most of France. But behind this legal holiday lies a date that has become very important in French history.
It was on November 11, 1918, at exactly 5:15 a.m., that theArmistice was signed by representatives of the Allies (France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States)and the German army. Among those present were Marshal Foch, Supreme Allied Commander,Admiral Wemyss, British representative, and Matthias Erzberger, representative of the German government. The armistice was signed in a restaurant car in the forest of Compiègne, in the Oise region of France.
To announce the Allied victory and thus the end of the First World War (1914-1918), the bells began to ring at 11am. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which definitively marked the end of the war, took place on June 28, 1919. The First World War claimed almost 18 million lives, including 9 million civilians.
In 1920, the remains of an unknown soldier were placed under the Arc de Triomphe, in tribute to all the soldiers who went missing in the First World War. On October 24, 1922, November 11officially became a public holiday dedicated to commemorations in France.
Since then, every November 11, France has paid tribute to the soldiers and victims of the First World War. On this day, commemorations follow one another. The President of the Republic lays a tricolor wreath at the foot of the statue of Georges Clemenceau. The Head of State then walked up the Champs-Élysées, escorted by several riders from the Republican Guard. He concludes this tribute by paying his respects at the famous tomb of the Unknown Soldier, beneath theArc de Triomphe.
Throughout the commemorations, the President and other officials wear a cornflower, which has become a national symbol for veterans and victims of war. Why a cornflower? During the First World War, this is how the Poilus nicknamed the new soldiers, in reference to their blue uniforms.
November 11, 2023: museums and monuments in Paris open on this holiday How about taking advantage of Saturday November 11, 2023, a public holiday in France, to visit Parisian monuments and discover current exhibitions? Numerous museums and monuments are opening their doors on this holiday, so you can make some great discoveries! [Read more]
Armistice Day, international holiday observed each year on November 11 to commemorate the end of World War I. The titular armistice was signed at 5:45 am on November 11, 1918
November 11, 1918
Battle of Mons, (November 11, 1918), engagement fought on the last day of World War I, in which Canadian forces captured the Belgian town of Mons, liberating an area that had been under German occupation since 1914.
On October 24, 1922, November 11 officially became a public holiday dedicated to commemorations in France. Since then, every November 11, France has paid tribute to the soldiers and victims of the First World War. On this day, commemorations follow one another.
Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, or Veteran's Day, is observed annually on November 11. Traditionally, the day marks the end of the First World War (1914-1918), and pays homage to the millions of soldiers and civilians who lost their lives during the conflict.
There are services of Remembrance in every Commune throughout France and in every French city there is a military gun salute at 11am. Military Parades to war memorials are the same as those across Europe with world leaders present in Paris to lay wreaths and the Tricolore French National flag taking pride of place.
ABMC SECRETARY MAX CLELAND: On this day in history, November 11th, 1918, the armistice was signed between the Axis and Allies ending the First World War. The armistice was the culmination of a coordinated Allied offensive extending across the western front, a distance of more than 400 miles.
Veterans Day originated in the Armistice Day holiday commemorating the November 11, 1918, armistice at 11 a.m. (hence “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”), which suspended active hostilities and effectively ended the First World War.
The Armistice, an agreement to end the fighting of the First World War as a prelude to peace negotiations, began at 11am on 11 November 1918. Armistice is Latin for to stand (still) arms. To this day we mark Armistice Day around the United Kingdom with a Two Minute Silence at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month.
After World War II, the holiday was recognized as a day of tribute to veterans of both wars. Beginning in 1954, the United States designated November 11 as Veterans Day to honor veterans of all U.S. wars. British Commonwealth countries now call the holiday Remembrance Day.
WWII Victory Day (la fête de la victoire, le jour de la libération) is a holiday to celebrate the end of World War II and the French people's freedom. It is the anniversary of when Charles de Gaulle announced the end of World War II in France on May 8, 1945.
In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because ...
Remembrance Day (11 November) is a national holiday in France and Belgium. It commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at 11:00 am—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month."
France celebrates two public holidays in the month of November and we are going to introduce both of them to you today: The first one is All Saints' Day or Toussaint, which falls on November 1 and the second one is the Armistice Day or Jour d'armistice, falling on November 11.
The first of November is All Saints' Day. It is a catholic holy day and in France it's a public holiday and a time when families visit cemeteries to remember and honour their deceased relatives. It's traditional for families to put a pot of chrysanthemums on the graves of their family for la Fete de la Toussaint.
These memorial gestures all took place on November 11, giving universal recognition to the celebrated ending of World War I fighting at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). The day became known as “Armistice Day.”
Originally known as Armistice Day, Veterans Day has its roots in commemorating the armistice signed on November 11, 1918, that ended World War I. In 1938, Congress declared November 11th as a legal holiday, emphasizing its dedication to the cause of world peace.
Saint Martin's Day or Martinmas (obsolete: Martlemas), and historically called Old Halloween or Old Hallowmas Eve, is the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and is celebrated in the liturgical year on 11 November.
In 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation's history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the Veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” ...
The French commemorate the ending of WW1 with this bank holiday. Many shops and public services will be closed. Local church services will be held and you will see the monuments for the fallen adorned with French flags.
Military parades are organized across the whole country for the rest of the day. Traditionally, French president lays down a wreath of the unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris with more than 60 other heads of states gathered to pay their respects.
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November 11, 2023: museums and monuments in Paris open on this holiday
November 11, 2023: museums and monuments in Paris open on this holiday