Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day

On this page

• General information
• Capitalization
• Hyphenation
• Greetings
• French equivalents

General information

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is celebrated on June 24. It’s a day for Francophones to show their pride by celebrating their identity, culture, history and achievements. While it’s a statutory holiday in Quebec only, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is observed by Francophones and Francophone communities across Canada.

The holiday was named for the patron saint of French-speaking Canadians, Saint John the Baptist, whose feast day falls on June 24.

Capitalization

Capitalize the first letter of every word in the name of the holiday, including Saint and Day: Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.

• Francophone communities across Canada celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.

Hyphenation

Use two hyphens to join the words Saint, Jean and Baptiste: Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. There is no hyphen preceding the word Day.

• Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebrations often end with fireworks.

Greetings

In English, the greeting is “Happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day!” The French equivalent is “Bonne Saint-Jean-Baptiste!”

French equivalents

The statutory holiday in Quebec is officially named the fête nationale du Québec.

It was previously known as fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste in Quebec, and continues to be known by that name to Francophones outside Quebec. As a result, it is commonly referred to as la Saint-Jean-Baptiste and la Saint-Jean across the country.