Saint Stephen's Day (Alsace-Moselle)
26 December 2026 — A star over timbered roofs and a warm cookie – enjoy the day of rest!
On 26 December, Saint Stephen's Day, most of France goes back to normal working life. In Alsace and the Moselle department, however, it is an official public holiday. The reason is the so-called local law, a set of special rules that apply only in those areas. Alsace and Moselle were part of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, and after their return to France some of the older rules stayed in force. These include the extra day off on the second day of Christmas, as well as Good Friday, which is also a holiday there. The day is named after Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, whose feast in the Western church falls on 26 December. In the region it is a time for family meals, Christmas markets and fragrant sweets such as gingerbread and bredele (small Christmas biscuits). It comes right after Christmas, just days after the winter solstice, when the nights slowly begin to shorten.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver star figure made of luminous dots and fine lines, like a constellation gliding across the sky
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