Easter is celebrated in France with religious ceremonies commemorating the rebirth of Jesus, and cultural customs with rabbits, chocolates and eggs. Spring flowers, lambs, birds' eggs and Easter eggs are symbols of Easter Sunday in France. They are symbolic of nature's rebirth or resurrection after the dark and cold winter period. Why not take a holiday there some time and see it for yourself?
Everyone gets an automatic three-day weekend holiday which they usually use to spend time with their family. Public life is generally very quiet on Easter Sunday, as on other Sundays, in France. Post offices, banks, stores and other businesses are closed. Outside of tourist areas, restaurants and cafes may be closed.
Cloche volant or Flying Bells is an important part of the Easter traditions of France. French Catholics believe that on Good Friday, all the church bells in France fly to the Vatican in Rome, carrying with them the misery and grief of those who mourn Jesus' crucifixion on that day. These flying bells return on Easter Sunday morning and bring with them lots of chocolate and eggs. In keeping with the tradition, French church bells do not ring from Good Friday to Easter morning.
Easter morning, the bells ring out once again in celebration of the Resurrection, declaring that Jesus is alive again. These are known as the Easter bells.
Easter morning is a happy time for children who wake up to look for colorfully decorated Easter eggs (les oeufs de Pâques) hidden in their gardens, homes and playgrounds. Parents tell their children the eggs were brought from Rome (where the chimes had gone), and that when the chimes returned they brought the eggs with them. In some parts of France children look for small chariots full of eggs pulled by white horses.
Children enjoy the traditional Easter game where raw eggs are rolled down a gentle slope. The surviving egg is declared a victory egg, and symbolizes the stone being rolled away from Jesus' tomb. The child whose egg travels the farthest without breaking is the winner.
Generally, there will be chocolate rabbits, eggs and other works of art made in chocolate but in the Alsace region there are special biscuits known as Osterlammele. They are baked in a clay mould and are in the shape of a lamb sitting on the ground. The Osterlammele were traditionally given to children after the church service on Easter Monday. Bakers now sell them and these are often decorated with ribbons and paper banners.
On Easter Sunday lamb is traditionally cooked in France. A leg of lamb (Gigot D'agneau) is prepared in many Christian household in France, especially for the ceremonious occasion. The typical French recipe is prepared by making use of spring vegetables.
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