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Education Ministry Declines Proposal to Rename Christmas and All Saints’ School Holidays

The consultative council’s vote carries no policy change.

Overview

  • Snuipp-FSU proposed replacing “vacances de la Toussaint” and “vacances de Noël” with neutral terms such as “autumn” and “end of year” to align with laïcité.
  • The Conseil supérieur de l’Éducation backed the amendment 44–7 in a non-binding vote during discussions on the 2026–2027 calendar.
  • The Education Ministry said the amendment was not retained and that renaming the holidays is not on its agenda.
  • Right-leaning groups including UNI and RN figures condemned the idea as erasing Christian roots, with UNI launching a petition whose signature counts vary by report.
  • Snuipp-FSU reported online harassment of delegates, and coverage noted precedent for secular naming since “Pâques” became “printemps” decades ago.