1. Le Pâques By Lauren Reinhardt

2. Le Pâques translates to Easter in English  The French word “Pâques” derives from the Latin “pascua”, meaning “food”, which comes from the Hebrew “Pessah” meaning “passing way” (hence the word “passage”) and is the Jewish name for the Passover celebration, which remembers the Exodus out of Egypt.  According to the Gospel, it was during this Jewish celebration that Jesus rose again.  In French, there is a distinction between “la Pâque juive” (a feminine singular word- the Passover celebrated by the Jews) and “les fêtes chrétiennes de Pâques” (Christian celebration of Easter), more simply refered to as “Pâques”

3. Food Traditions  Traditional Easter meal; l’agneau Pascal  For starters, you can serve cold asparagus with a vinaigrette enriched with boiled eggs and grated fresh chives.  There is not a traditional Easter desert… people usually dig into the chocolate treats, but it’s customary to also serve the first strawberries of the season or make an nest shaped cake.

4. Cultural Traditions  Sunday morning is the opening of “la chasse aux oeufs” in France: Easter Egg Hunt  A story says Mary Magdalene was bringing cooked eggs to share with the other women at the tomb of Jesus, and the eggs in her basket miraculously turned brilliant red when she saw the risen Christ. Early Christians of Mesopotamia stained eggs red in memory of the blood of Christ shed at his crucifixion. The Christian Church adopted the custom, the eggs became of symbol of the resurrection.  No Easter Bunny, But Flying Easter Bells “les cloches volantes de Pâques”  The Catholic tradition dictates that Church bells don’t ring between Good Friday “Vendredi Saint” and Easter Sunday, to commemorate the death of Christ and his resurrection. The oral tradition then said that the bells were flying to Rome during that time to be blessed by the Pope, and then come back from this trip loaded with presents.  Decorative eggs with ornate designs are also an important part of Le Paques.