Easter activities in France for families
French schools' staggered two-week Spring holidays began for pupils in Zone B on April 5th. Children at schools in Zone C will break up at the end of classes on April 11th, while those in Zone A have to wait until April 19th.
The holiday period takes in Easter – and Easter Sunday this year falls on April 20th, almost as late as it can get.
Like many other historically Catholic countries, France is a big fan of Easter. All around the country, you'll see shopfronts and bakeries decorated with chocolate rabbits, chickens, bells, and other signs of spring.
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Many other traditions and festivals mark the spring holiday season in France.
Flying bells
Traditionally,
cloches volantes
(flying bells) rather than cutesy fluffy bunny rabbits bring Easter treats to children in France – though they outsource chocolate egg distribution logistics to a rabbit subsidiary in the east of the country.
French Catholic tradition has it that, on Good Friday (the Friday before Easter), all church bells in France sprout wings and fly to the Vatican to be blessed by the Pope.
After their short Italian getaway, the bells return to France laden with goodies for well-behaved children — in the form of some sort of chocolate confection – before ringing out joyously in celebration of Jesus' resurrection.
Presumably, the power of the promise of chocolate means no child has ever cast doubt on the aerodynamic qualities of several hundred kilogrammes of cast metal without visible means of propulsion.
Speaking of which…
Easter egg hunts
A lot of towns organise a
chasse aux oeufs
(egg hunt) as do many of France's most beautiful chateaux, so grown-ups can admire stunning architecture and gorgeous gardens while the kids get hyped-up on sugar and hunt for eggs.
Another rather messy tradition in some parts of the country is egg rolling or egg tossing. Raw eggs are either rolled down a slope or thrown into the air, and the last person to keep their egg intact gets a forfeit of chocolate from the other players. The surviving egg is dubbed the 'victory egg' and – by all accounts – symbolises the stone being rolled away from Christ's tomb.
Another Easter egg game consists of children tossing raw eggs into the air and trying to catch it without breaking it.
Special cakes
As well as chocolate, the windows of boulangeries and patisseries also display beautifully decorated cakes and pastries.
There isn't a particular traditional Easter desert in France, but it wouldn't be a celebration without getting something from the patisserie to end the Easter meal.
Anything with chocolate is popular, particularly cute little chocolate nests, and seasonal fruit like the first strawberries are often seen too.
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Something savoury – and big
Every Easter Monday, some 10,000 people gather in the town of Bessières in south-west France to break 15,000 fresh eggs and make one giant omelette.
The event is organised by the town's Confrérie des Chevaliers de l'Omelette Géante (brotherhood of the knights of the giant omelette) to honour that time Napoleon Bonaparte and his army once spent the night near the town. A
fter eating (and evidently enjoying) an omelette made by a local innkeeper, Napoleon ordered the townspeople to gather all the eggs in the village to make a gigantic omelette for his army the next day.
It's now the conclusion of a three-day
Easter festival in the town
, which this year features a vintage car rally and an 80s night as well as an egg hunt and the all-important omelette.
Lunchable
Easter is seen as a family occasion, and most French people have lunch with relatives or friends. Since the schools are on holiday, many families visit grandparents.
Lamb is the traditional Easter food, but plenty of people just serve what they like.
If you can't be bothered to cook, a lot of restaurants do open on Easter Sunday, although it might be wise to book in advance.
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Alsatian Easter markets
In the eastern region of Alsace – where they also
enjoy an extra public holiday
– they take Easter celebrations a step further with a series of lively Easter markets and events.
In a region also famous for its expansive Christmas Markets, cities like Colmar celebrate the holiday and the beginning of spring with live music, art exhibitions, and sales of local artisan and gastronomic products.
Flying high
Châtelaillon-Plage in the south-west département of Charente-Maritimes is a windswept delight of a beach and every year it hosts the Festival international du cerf-volant et du vent (kite and wind festival) for three days in April – this year it's on the 19th, 20th and 21st.
There's big kites, little kites, competition kites, fighting kites. Plus, kite surfing and kite-building workshops. Basically, kites plus wind plus sand plus sea equals a whole lotta fun. More information
here
.
Pump up the volume
You know summer's on the way when the outdoor music festivals start popping up on the agenda. Enter the annual, eclectic
Printemps de Bourges
– from April 15th to 20th in the central French town of Bourges, which this year features Michel Polnareff, Emma Peters, Clara Luciani, Bandit Bandit, Fatboy Slim, Mandragora, and Malik Djoudi.
Feria de Pâques
Controversial one, this.
Despite repeated attempts to ban bullfighting
, in south-west France, Easter marks the start of the season – starting with the Feria de Pâques in Arles. The event this year runs from April 18th to 21st, and is expected to attract 500,000 visitors to the ancient Bouches-du-Rhône town.
Roman salute
If you head down to Nîmes, in the Gard, instead, you may think you've also travelled back in time roughly 2,000 years as the town's famous Roman amphitheatre hosts historical reenactment events. This year, the event – which runs from April 25th to the 27th - focuses on the legendary story behind the founding of Rome. More details
here
.
Chocolate art
France has some world-famous chocolatiers, and they certainly don't hold back at Easter.
Keep an eye out in the chocolate shops for their magnificent creations. You'll see beautifully detailed sculptures of eggs, fish, chickens, rabbits, and more. They're almost too beautiful to eat... almost.
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