What is Easter like in France?

90% of the population of France is Roman Catholic, so many people attend special church services on Easter. Church bells stop ringing on Good Friday to commemorate Jesus' death and ring out again on Easter Sunday in recognition of his resurrection.

Children wake up and look for colorfully decorated eggs left in their gardens and homes. The Easter Bunny is not part of the festivities, except in certain areas next to Germany. When the bells stop ringing on Good Friday, children are told that they have gone to Rome to see the Pope and when the chimes return, they will bring the eggs with them.

Children also enjoy playing a game of rolling raw eggs down a gentle slope. The egg that survives symbolizes the stone being rolled away from Jesus' tomb. Another game played is similar to the egg and spoon game played in the United States. They toss an egg in the air and the first child to drop and break the egg loses the game and might have to give away a piece of his candy.

Chocolate is part of the celebration and includes fish and bells. Often, they look more like works of art than something edible.

The Easter feast is likely to include Lamb, leg of lamb or lamb stew.

Schools usually take a spring holiday during this time of year and workers usually have a 3-day weekend.