Briller par son absence

That was a long pause! I'm back after a long absence. "Je suis de retour après une longue absence." 

So what a good opportunity to learn a new expression today: "Briller par son absence". That's a rather ironic expression! Actually, it means "to get noticed for being absent". So the verb "briller" doesn't mean "to shine" here but rather "to excel".

Easter: Pâques

It's Easter or "Pâques" in French. In France, only the Monday following Easter is a public holiday. It's called "Le lundi de Pâques". So Good Friday ("le vendredi saint") is not a public holiday in France. We wish "Joyeuses Pâques", Happy Easter, to other people.

Easter is the most important celebration ("fête") of Christianity ("la chrétienté"). It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The date changes every year. 

The Easter egg ("l'oeuf de Pâques") is a gift ("le cadeau") given during Easter.

Seasons: les saisons

France has four seasons (la saison) as she is in the temperate zone (la zone tempérée).

To celebrate the return of spring, let's learn how to say the seasons in French: le printemps, l'été, l'automne et l'hiver.

The gender for all of them is masculine.

In the Northern hemisphere (l'hémisphère nord), Spring (le printemps) starts on March 21.

Summer (l'été) starts on June 21.

Autumn (l'automne) starts on September 21.

Winter (l'hiver) starts on December 21.

In the Southern hemisphere (l'hémisphère sud), Spring (le printemps) starts on September 21.

Summer (l'été) starts on December 21.

Autumn (l'automne) starts on March 21.

Winter (l'hiver) starts on June 21.