Holiday traditions in French life do differ from our own in many ways. The French really enjoy and savor the holiday seasons and take time to spend them with loved ones and family.
Easter in France is taken seriously, especially by those who have dedicated Catholic faith. The bells of all French Catholic Churches do no ring for three days leading up to Easter Sunday. They all them chime and people turn to their neighbors and loved ones and hug as the music from the bells ring out.
Instead of little fuzzy bunny that brings the children eggs and candy, the French children believe in the magic of the Flying Bells. They leave three days before the Easter holiday and return on Easter Sunday bringing eggs of chocolate throughout the towns and hiding them in the gardens and households for the kids to find.
France has a glorious Christmas season. Shops and residence are all decked out in holiday cheer. In homes some people still choose to decorate in old world style with candies in delectable arrays and nuts on their trees instead of the more modern glittery and lighted ones others choose to use. Stockings will not be hung by the hearths here, it is shoes instead to be filled by Pere Noel on Christmas Eve.
The Christmas trees in France have additional decoration of delightful candies and nuts on them. Sometimes candles are lit in all the windows as well on Christmas eve night. Most everyone goes to mass for Christmas eve and then all settle in to a delicious menu of turkey, chicken, French desserts, puddings and sides to bring in the joy of the season on Christmas Eve.
There is also another holiday in France that is in commemoration of the Paris prison called the Bastille being attacked by many unhappy townspeople who did not like the things that went on at this horrible place.
There are more such days if you delve further into the history of the French lifestyle.
Tradition is for the groom to smash the top of a bottle of champagne or wine with a saber made just for such events. Napoleon has some ties to the origination of this.
The troops of Napoleons armies would ask ladies to hold their own bottles skyward and then lop off the necks with their sabers and drink and feast afterwards. What fun they had then. We smartened up quite a bit since then and decided that was not a very safe way of doing it.
French life holds traditions steadfast in all of their celebrations and also incorporate the importance of spending quality time with loved ones and friends to share in the seasons meaning and joy. The french employers allow each person a total of 5 weeks during a one year period off for specifically celebrating the holiday seasons. This gives them time throughout the year to enjoy their families and especially the ones who visit maybe only once every season.
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