Just like Americans, the young people in France celebrate their birthdays (l'anniversaire). Instead of wishing one another "happy birthday," the traditional greeting is bon anniversaire or bonne fête. In Canada, they just say bonne fête.

Usually the celebration will take place with the person's family. Presents are given, though there are fewer of them than are given on birthdays in the United States. A typical present would be flowers or candy. Then, sometimes a family will go out to a nice restaurant to celebrate the occasion. Kids get presents from their families of course. Some typical presents many children have been asking for lately are red suede tennis shoes, in particular Pumas. Books like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings are also a popular gift for kids in France.

Since France is a traditionally Catholic country, the majority of peoples' first names are taken from the Catholic calendar of saints' names. This means that in addition to celebrating a birthday, each person also gets to celebrate their feast day (la Fête), though this custom is not as strongly practiced as it used to be. French Canadians don't celebrate the saint's day at all. Each person's feast day takes place on the same feast day of the saint after whom he or she is named.