Again, not really WoT, but more erosion of Christian influence in France. However, I do agree that the 15,000 deaths last August must be addressed, and perhaps this is one way to do it...
The French government on Tuesday appeared set to eliminate a public holiday to help finance a raft of measures aimed at helping the elderly, the primary victims of this summer’s deadly heat wave. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin’s press service said a final decision had not yet been taken, but a government source who requested anonymity said France’s work force, which is fiercely protective of its leisure time, would be asked to give up a day off. "It will be Pentecost Monday and it is indeed to cover overall spending (on programs) for the elderly and the handicapped," the source told AFP, confirming reports in the financial daily Les Echos and the popular newspaper Le Moniteur France Soir. The suppression of the Pentecost Monday bank holiday from next year is thus expected to finance a multi-year action plan to protect older people that is due to be unveiled at a cabinet meeting next week, the financial daily said. Raffarin’s press service said, however, that the "final decisions" on how to pay for the action plan had not yet been taken. "Several possibilities have been reviewed, including the idea of a ’national day of solidarity’, which was put forth by several associations.
| Oh, that should do it. Take another day off and parade. Maybe trot out Marianne... |
The final decisions have not been made," the press service said in a statement. Pentecost, also known as Whitsunday, is a Christian holiday that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles 49 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, celebrated on Easter.
| Pentecost by definition doesn't fall on a Monday... |
If Pentecost Monday is indeed scrapped, France will then have 10 public holidays on the calendar. Among European Union countries, Spain has the most public holidays at 16, while the Netherlands has the fewest at seven, with one extra day every five years. |