The mainstream religion in France is Roman Catholicism, so the French used to celebrate Christian holidays.
We celebrate Ascension Day because that was the day Jesus walked out of that tomb to show us that our sins died with Him on the cross.
It's not a Jewish occasion.
Ascension Thursday happens in May and it's the celebration of Mary going to heaven body and soul.
The French celebrate Bastille Day.
In the Catholic church we just celebrated it yesterday, 5/17/12. It is a holy day of obligation, meaning we must celebrate the mass.
French Christians celebrate Christmas. French Jews celebrate Hanukkah.
jour de l'Ascension
No one HAS to celebrate Christmas. Most French do.
french do celebrate Easter they do and they also celebrate with chocolate fish and its near the 21-25th of April
In French, you could say une ascension fulgurantefor someone's rise to fame.
Actually it is not the French that celebrate August 15th 1960 as the Republic of Congo gained its Independence.
"Reason to celebrate" translated into French is "Raison de se réjouir"