Look at these examples:
À Noël, on mange toujours trop!
At Christmas, we always eat too much.
Je t'ai vu le jour de Noël.
I saw you on Christmas Day.
À Pâques, les enfants vont à la chasse aux oeufs.
At Easter, the children go egg hunting.
À Hanoucca, on allume des bougies.
At Hanukkah, we light candles.
À l'Aïd, on prie et on va à la mosquée.
At Eid, we pray and go to the mosque.
Je vais chez mes parents le jour de l'Aïd.
I'm going to my parents' on Eid day.
Note that:
- when talking about the celebration in a general context (at Christmas), you use the preposition à + célébration;
- when you're talking about the day of the celebration (on Christmas Day), you use le jour de + célébration.
N.B.: for Eid, because it starts with a vowel, we use à l' or le jour de l', in order to ease the pronunciation.
Also see Using prepositions with name days, like Saint Valentine's Day
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
À Hanoucca, on allume des bougies.
At Hanukkah, we light candles.
À Pâques, les enfants vont à la chasse aux oeufs.
At Easter, the children go egg hunting.
Le jour de Pâques, nous faisons un grand repas familial.
On Easter Day, we have a big family meal.
Je t'ai vu le jour de Noël.
I saw you on Christmas Day.
Je vais chez mes parents le jour de l'Aïd.
I'm going to my parents' on Eid day.
À Noël, on mange toujours trop!
At Christmas, we always eat too much.
À l'Aïd, on prie et on va à la mosquée.
At Eid, we pray and go to the mosque.
Ann
Kwiziq community member
4 January 2018
5 replies
Why doesn't Noël use a definite article when other holidays do?
Chris
Kwiziq community member
9 January 2018
9/01/18
1) À Noël -- At Christmas (in general) or
2) Le jour de Noël -- On Christmas Day.
Can you point me to what you have difficulty with exactly?
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
Ann
Kwiziq community member
9 January 2018
9/01/18
Chris
Kwiziq community member
9 January 2018
9/01/18
https://french.kwiziq.com/my-languages/french/view/4673
Hope that helps, -- Chris.
Cécile
Kwiziq language super star
27 February 2018
27/02/18
Hi Anne,
As Chris has already said Noël and Pâques don't have an article in front of them but the Saints days do ,
e.g. C'est la St Jean aujourdh'ui or aujourd'hui c'est la Sainte Honorine , ou la Sainte Isabelle, ou la Saint Martin...
It is ( so and so ) Saint' s day today ...
You also use the article with other religious celebrations , e.g. La Toussaint, La Pentecôte, l'Ascention . ( All Saints' day, Pentecost/ Whitsun , Ascention day )
So Noël and Pâques are pretty much the exceptions here,
Hope this helps!
Ann
Kwiziq community member
27 February 2018
27/02/18