Easter in France
Celebrating Easter in France is very much a part of the French culture, and many of the French Easter traditions directly relate back to the fact that much of the country (about ninety percent) considers itself Roman-Catholic. Whether they are truly practicing Roman Catholics or not, Easter is a major holiday celebrated by all.
The Ringing of the Bells
Churches, with their soaring architecture and revered history, are an intrinsic part of the French culture. It makes sense then, that these very same churches are central to Easter celebrations. The tradition begins on Maundy Thursday, before Good Friday. On this day, all the bells in France remain still and silent in remembrance of Jesus' passing.
As one might imagine, this is quite a somber remembrance, and one that's made all the more acute because the church bells typically ring out joyously at different times of the day. To ease the discomfort or any fears of the children, parents tell them that all the church bells have flown off to Rome to visit the Pope.
Luckily, this silence is fairly short lived; when Easter morning dawns, the bells ring out once more to rejoice in Jesus' resurrection. Much of the French community takes joy in this, fanning out into the streets, shouting boisterous greetings to neighbors, and giving warm hugs and kisses to those they know. You may hear all sorts of Easter holiday greetings, however, the French say "Joyeuses Pâques!"
Easter Games
While it's true that Easter is a joy for both young and old alike, it's the children in particular who seem to have the most fun. It's in this spirit that French children delight in Easter games. One such game involves rolling raw eggs down a gentle slope. The egg that makes it down the slop, without breaking, is declared the victor. Many believe that this game symbolizes the stone that rolled away from Jesus' tomb when it was discovered that he had risen.
The second game involves tossing uncooked eggs into the air. The first child to drop and break his egg is the loser, who must then give up some of his candy to another child. However, in some versions of this game, there is no such penalty.
