Joyful History Of French Life

By Hazel Wig

There are many differences in the French life holidays than in some of our own. The holidays to the French mean a lot and are a true time to give to your loved ones and friends, not just gifts but time and love.

France has Strong religious Catholic beliefs and Easter is a important holiday for everyone. The bells stop ringing within a three day period up until Easter's when all let out their glorious chimes. Everyone hugs and kisses one another once the chimes are heard all over to show peace and love as well as joy for this special day.

Children in France do not believe in the Easter bunny. The Flying Bells return on Easter morning and leave a trail of chocolate covered eggs in their wake. They are hidden among the houses and the gardens of children's homes for them to search out and find.

Christmas is a joyous time of year no matter where you live, but France hold its traditions from the past dear to their hearts and places them within their Christmas celebrations and customs. The children place, not stockings but their shoes by the hearth for not Santa but Pere Noel to fill full of goodies and toys. They also are puppet shows done on Christmas eve for the children and has been a tradition for centuries.

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.

Bastille Day is celebrated throughout France on the fourteenth of July with parades in the streets and fireworks that go on until the night is well on its way. Townspeople gather to commemorate the mobs of angry people who stormed through this once famous Paris prison and freed the prisoners and towns from the awful things being done there.

There are more such days if you delve further into the history of the French lifestyle.

French wedding customs are mostly like ours in other countries. One exception is the bottle beheading of a poor little champagne bottle by the groom using a saber specially created for just such an event. This is said to have started with Napoleon's troops playing a game and beheading bottles of booze with their sabers.

They would let the ladies hold bottles with spirits in them high above their heads in the air and then the soldiers on their steeds would gallop toward them sabers held high and take the bottles head off in one fell swoop.

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. - 32380

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