We are landing in Paris 26th of March from Seattle. We leave the 4th of April. We were thinking of starting in Paris for the first half then moving on to a small town base in Provence. Then I realized the 1st of April is Easter.
My question is where would you spend Easter? We are not religious at all. I’m concerned that most of the sights we want to see in the countryside will be closed for the holiday. I am looking forward to the festivals and chocolate/food wherever we end up. My husband hasn’t been to France. I’ve only been to Paris. I’m making AirB&B bookings ASAP.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
We were in Paris at Easter a few years ago and the only difference we noticed was that some restaurants were serving special midday and afternoon dinners by reservation. It seemed like these were mostly families celebrating the holiday. But there were plenty of places for us to eat. Churches would be holding special services, and I expect would be especially crowded, beyond a normal Sunday. You might want to do any church visiting on a different day.
Though most French people are nominally Catholic, the church doesn't play a very big part in most people's lives. The separation of religion and state is probably stronger than in the US. I was surprised to learn that the pre-1789 cathedrals like Notre Dame and Chartres are actually the property of the government, though used by the church.
Posted by
English but living in Melbourne, Australia
432 posts
Dick said: "I was surprised to learn that the pre-1789 cathedrals like Notre Dame and Chartres are actually the property of the government, though used by the church."
That's one to of the many lasting effects of the French Revolution.
Posted by
South Florida
776 posts
French secularization is more complicated than:
" I was surprised to learn that the pre-1789 cathedrals like Notre Dame and Chartres are actually the property of the government, though used by the church".
In the words of Casey Stengel or James Thurber, "You could look it up"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1905_French_law_on_the_Separation_of_the_Churches_and_the_State
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10629 posts
75020–good to hear from you.
As for religion: statistics put the practicing part of the French Christian population at 5%. That means almost 95% will be at the market, at the cafe placing a bet on a horse, getting ready for a festive lunch or away on school holiday. BTW, that’s a time of heavy tourist traffic. Schools all over Europe take students on spring trips and a lot end up in Paris.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thanks All!
We’ve booked an apartment for Easter weekend in Paris. Now we get to plan for the beginning of our trip.
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
We've stayed in minuscule villages around Easter and were surprised that so many places were open in the morning, generally ones involving food. And restaurants were open for lunch.
As to the religiosity of the French -- one year on Palm Sunday we stayed with a French couple who lived near the Spanish border. You could see over to Spain, where people were carrying palm fronds to church. One of our friends said: "The French and the Spanish people are both Catholic; the difference is that the Spanish really believe."
Posted by
Paris
2466 posts
There will be lots of chocolates in windows, including supermarches and chocolateries.
There are always the "Bells" - the legend has it that the Pope/Vatican has the bells go flying through the air for good little girls and boys.
Go reserve someplace for a festive lunch. Most everybody speaks some English.