What's Easter...?

April 11, 2014

Well - basically, since I live in France, it means:

“Pâques”.......

http://www.frenchmoments.eu/easter-traditions-in-france-paques-en-france/ You can find lots of information here.

A lot of people, non-French speaking, don't know this, although they do know the word 'Pascale', as a name or as in 'lamb pascale'

it's another word in French that has an accent, which means that the original has been 'adapted', in this case the accent over the 'a' represents - originally- an 's' (which it often does in latin based languages).

The French are - like the Spanish, Italians and others, inclined to only celebrate the 'festival days' (ie when they don't work) in this case Monday! Good Friday doesn't really exist, and even the Easter Sunday is only important for the religious people, even the Supermarkets are open to buy forgotten things like this!

......

So far as other traditions are concerned, there are many, differing from the North to the East/West and South, but you will always find chocolate somewhere in there! Local products are obviously preferred, so I guess we'll be seeing oysters and mussels again! In the North East, (Alsace) things are very Germanic anyway, and the Germans are rather more strict on the procedure.

Here in the South, if the weather is fine (which it normally is) then sitting outside the Cafés or lying on the beach

is more the 'acceptable' thing to do..... of course barbecues or restaurants accompany the church bells!

It's not quite hot enough to need to enter the Church yet, but sitting outside is just what is needed.

Of course - you can fly away on breaks, €50 to London (for the rain) or Berlin, Munich for a good beer, even Ankara to learn Turkish and look at the delights,

and maybe even

taste some...