About the history :
In a France fundamentally Christian, Easter is an essential celebration, even more important than Christmas. Indeed, it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus. It takes place on the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21th, so no earlier than March 22, if the full moon falls on the evening of the 21st, and no later than April 25. It was traditionally mandatory to drop work, to attend Mass and to receive Holy Communion after confessing. Moreover, Easter Sunday is a public holiday in all Christian countries. In France, it is only the following Monday that is.
Easter Sunday puts an end to the Holy Week. During this week, from Thursday to Saturday, the church bells no longer ring as a sign of mourning. Legend has it that, in some Catholic countries and particularly in France, on the evening of Holy Thursday, the bells go to Rome to be blessed by the Pope. On Sunday at the end of the Easter Mass, they begin to sound more beautiful again to announce the resurrection of Christ. When they return, the bells fly over gardens, houses, fields, parks and parks dropping chocolate eggs. In France, it is therefore the bells that bring chocolates to children and not rabbits as in Germanic and Anglo-Saxon countries.
About the traditions :
There are many traditions in France about Easter, but the most popular among young and old is of course the egg hunt. Indeed during Easter Sunday it is customary to find eggs that are hidden in the garden and/or the house.The eggs were laided there by the bells during the night. Equipped with a small wicker basket, young and old will then go on an Easter egg hunt. Be careful not to forget any at the risk of seeing the eggs deteriorate over time!
In France, Easter is especially synonymous with chocolate in everyone’s minds, but then why do we eat chocolate on Easter holidays?
It was in fact from the 19th century that all-chocolate eggs began to appear, particularly in the 1830s thanks to considerable progress in cocoa processing techniques. Originally it was customary to offer very well decorated eggs and one day we had the idea to insert chocolate inside. This pleases the French who swallowed 13,400 tons of chocolate at Easter in 2018 !
