Thanksgiving is not on France’s official list of legal public holidays. That does not mean nobody in France celebrates it privately.
Here is how to wish someone a happy Thanksgiving in French, and what to know if you want to celebrate in France.
How to say “happy Thanksgiving” in French!
In Canadian French, you can say Joyeuse Action de grâces. The Office québécois de la langue française recognizes both Action de grâce and Action de grâces, and the Government of Canada uses the exact greeting “joyeuse Action de grâces.”
A brief history of US Thanksgiving
The familiar US story centers on the Pilgrims’ 1621 harvest gathering with Wampanoag people, but it was not the first thanksgiving observance in North America and it did not by itself create the modern national holiday. The Smithsonian documents earlier Indigenous harvest traditions and European thanksgiving services; the United States fixed Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November in 1941.
If you want to celebrate Thanksgiving in France, plan it as a private gathering. Because it is not a French legal public holiday, do not assume that you will have the day off.
What about Black Friday?
Black Friday does exist in France. Insee dates its first French edition to 2013 and found that it boosted November retail sales, especially online. French law distinguishes the regulated seasonal soldes from promotions such as Black Friday: the DGCCRF says Black Friday promotions remain subject to rules on price reductions and misleading commercial practices.
My first encounter with Black Friday was seeing people fight over a discounted bag on TV. That was my impression from one television report, not the whole story of Black Friday in France.
Have you ever celebrated Thanksgiving in France? What did you do?