The Magic Bells of Easter

The other day at lunch Hervé told me about Easter in France. The French don't have the Easter Bunny, they have bells that come around and hide treats for the children in the gardens and yards of their parents. This seemed beyond absurd to me.

I asked "Well where do the bells come from?"

"Rome"

"What are they doing in Rome?"

"That's the center of Christianity, isn't it?"

"Ok, well how do the bells get here? Do they walk?"

"No. Don't be silly. They fly."

Here I imagined a flock of bells flying through the sky on their way to France. What if they hit someone on the head? And how exactly do they carry chocolate treats for the kiddies?

I took my turn and told the guys about the Easter Bunny. I added, "And around this time of year, you can go to the shopping malls and have your picture taken with the Easter Bunny".

"A guy in a rabbit suit."

"Yes."

They all shook their heads in disbelief. Absurd.

As it turns out, the whole bell thing has an actual meaning. Hervé told me that no bells will ring starting Good Friday to acknowledge the death of Christ. Then on Easter morning, the rise of Christ, bells will be ringing wildly. I'm not sure what this has to do with the bells carrying chocolate from Rome, but at least there's a connection.

When I started thinking about it, I realized that all European holidays held great significance. How did Americans get from the rise of Christ to a giant bunny?

After I read in a David Sedaris story that Santa Claus is actually from Spain, I asked my Spanish friend Honorato about it. He said "Last I heard, Saint Nicolas was a guy who rode around Europe on a horse giving gifts to poor children. I don't know where you guys got flying reindeer from." He also said that in Spain, gifts are exchanged on January 6, which is the day the three kings brought gifts to the Christ child. Well shoot, that makes sense.

On February 14 I didn't see a single Valentine's Day decoration or red foil-wrapped chocolate. But I did learn that every day of the French calendar corresponds to a different saint, and February 14 is the day we acknowledge Saint Valentine.

This difference in holidays has really made me think about American holiday traditions and wonder how we ever strayed from their origins. I know it's trite to say this, but it seems like commercialism has completely taken over holidays and made us forget their real purpose. I love the idea of silencing bells all over France in recognition of Christ's death. It's so meaningful.

There aren't Easter decorations in every window, or racks of Easter cards at the grocery store or pastel-colored M&Ms for sale. In a way I kind of miss the happy spring tradition of colored eggs and lambs and chicks and bunnies, but I'm also appreciating the simple version that acknowledges what Easter is really all about.