He made the proposal – among others – in a press conference this week outlining his plans to get a grip on the country’s public spending.
READ ALSO French prime minister calls for scrapping of two public holidays in austerity budget
Two holidays could be removed from the calendar, if Bayrou’s proposal of budgetary measures planned to cut more than €40 billion from the annual government bill, gets the go-ahead.
According to a Senate report published last September, cancelling one public holiday would generate €2.4 billion a year.
First the caveats - the PM's position is weak and it's far from certain that he will manage to get his proposals passed (or even remain in office past the autumn). There's also a suggestion that the axing of the holidays is part of his negotiation tactics, designed to be dropped if the opposition will accept his other financial proposals.
And then there's the fact that Bayrou himself said that his proposed dates of May 8th (VE Day) and Easter Monday were only "suggestions" when it comes to which holidays to scrap.
But even with all that, there was surprise that he singled out Easter Monday, especially when France has much less well-known Christian festivals within its holiday calendar (Ascension, Assumption and All Saints' Day, anyone?).
France is officially – and proudly – a secular state. But its Catholic past is evident in the number of public holidays linked to religious celebrations: Easter Monday, Ascension, Pentecost, Assumption, All Saints, and Christmas Day make up six of the country’s 11 public holidays. Meanwhile those who live in the historic Alsace Lorraine region get two more - St Stephen's Day on December 26th and Good Friday.
Easter Monday was added to the list of religious holidays during the time of Constantine – the first Christian Roman emperor, who ruled over a territory stretching from present-day England to Egypt. He chose to impose eight consecutive holidays — an octave — after Easter. This was a time dedicated to commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ and to pilgrimages to Rome.
Over the centuries, this tradition became established in many Christian countries – including France.
At least until 1801, when Napoleon signed a treaty with Pope Pius VII which gave the consul the power to reorganise the practices of the Church in France.
Faced with the economic difficulties that were undermining the country at the time, Napoleon Bonaparte sought ways to boost production. The abolition of public holidays was one such measure. He chose to abolish seven of the eight post-Easter holidays, leaving Easter Monday as the last one standing.
More than two centuries later, Bayrou - a practising Catholic - is contemplating a similar reduction in the public holiday calendar, and for the same reasons.
Easter Monday, he insists, has no "religious significance" today.
While he didn’t go into further detail in his speech, he may have a point on the religious front. Good Friday and Easter Sunday are the key dates for Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, which are the whole point of Easter.
Easter Monday is merely the rump of a pilgrimage tradition dating back around 1,600 years.
These days, although the shops fill up with chocolate eggs and other treats, Easter is not an especially well-celebrated festival in most of France.
There are church services for the devout, while local municipalities also organise special events over the Easter weekend such as egg hunts or markets. Meanwhile one town in southern France makes an enormous omelette, in a tradition dating back to Napoleon (yes, him again. It's The Law that all articles on French history reference Napoleon at least once).
READ ALSO: Flying bells and giant omelettes: 8 ways the French celebrate Easter✎
Unlike in the UK, where the spring school holidays are scheduled around Easter, in France sometimes schoolchildren are on holiday over Easter and sometimes they aren't, depending on when Easter falls in a particular year.
In what seems to be a failed effort to avert public anger, Bayrou has said he is open to discussion about the public holidays that may be abolished.
The same applies to May 8th, the date that marks the surrender of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. “These are proposals. I am willing to accept or consider others. If other ideas come up, they are welcome,” he said.
Bayrou is convinced that “this change to our public holiday calendar will bring several billion euros into the state budget simply because businesses, shops, the civil service and the nation will be working and our productivity will improve.”
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