Les Cloches de Pâques

Easter eggs are eaten pretty much anywhere this Christian holiday is celebrated, from Norway to South Africa, from America to Japan. In France, however, these chocolate treats are known as les cloches de Pâques - ‘Easter bells’. The reason why might surprise those who don’t know about France’s special Easter traditions.

Anyone who’s visited a French town will be familiar with the sound of church bells. They ring all year round, with the exception of the few days before Easter, beginning on Maundy Thursday (Jeudi Saint) and ending on Easter Sunday (dimanche de Pâques).

Why are the bells silent? Well, legend has it that the bells spend these three days on a journey to the Vatican and back, bringing with them the grief of those mourning the crucifixion of Jesus on the way there. On the way back, however, they bring a decidedly more delicious treat - Easter eggs!

During their flight back over France, the eggs are dropped and can be found (surprisingly intact) in the back gardens of houses, waiting to be discovered by hungry children on Easter Sunday. It’s therefore common for children to spend the day on an Easter Egg hunt, similar to the hunts that take place in other countries. But it’s not just eggs that are eaten on this day; bell-shaped chocolates are also a commonplace, symbolising les cloches de Pâques.

Meanwhile, the Alsace region in the east of the country still retains the Germanic tradition of the Easter Bunny so you’re more likely to come across chocolate rabbits than chocolate bells.

What families eat for dinner on Easter is also likely to change from household to household, but one thing’s for certain: more chocolate is eaten on this day than on any other in France!