Easter means different things to different people. It can be a time of religious devotion and family get-togethers, the end of 40 days without chocolate or just a three-day weekend.

In France, Easter is a huge celebration for both actively religious and secular populations, a day of church bells ringing and plenty of miniature chocolate eggs. But holidays like Easter can also show students who are studying abroad that, even at the tail end of the semester, their adopted cities can still have something new to show them.

Many of the holiday traditions in Alsace — the northeast corner of France, where Strasbourg is located — reflect the region’s history of being passed between France and Germany. For example, children in the rest of France wait for the Easter Bells, not the Easter Bunny, to bring them chocolate and painted eggs.

Don’t ask me about the logistics of how bells move, let alone carry Easter baskets.

Many children in Alsace, however, believe in the German tradition of the Easter Bunny. Seventy years after peace brought the last change of power in Alsace, the bells versus bunny debate still rages.

Several Alsatian families also follow another Germanic tradition of hanging colored Easter eggs from the branches of small trees or bushes. This tradition is festive and colorful, and it also adds a certain sense of symmetry to the Christian calendar, which calls for decorating an evergreen tree in December and a fichus in April.

The French in general use Easter as an excuse to step up their already excellent chocolate and pastry game. Starting two or three weeks before Easter, small cafes and sandwich shops begin overflowing with chocolate eggs and bunnies. In Strasbourg, you’ll also find a unique Alsatian contribution in the form of “lammele,”  the French word, or “osterlammele,” in Alsatian, which are lamb-shaped pastries sprinkled with powdered sugar.

One French tradition that was a little harder to get used to is the observance of a bank holiday the day after Easter. On that Monday, almost all businesses shut down or otherwise severely restrict their hours. It seemed to me that more restaurants, cafes and stores were open on Easter Sunday than Easter Monday.

As one restaurant owner explained it, “Only asses work on bank holidays.”

No matter what new traditions study abroad students may find themselves exposed to, spending holidays abroad introduces a universal one: having to exchange holiday greetings with loved ones back home via text message and Facebook posts. For some lucky abroad students, however, Easter is an occasion for family members to come visit.

Being abroad with your parents has its definite perks. There are the obvious altruistic reasons, like spending time together, catching up and introducing them to some of the sights and people you’ve come to love. There’s also the blissful return to a life of not picking up the check at dinner.

And, if you’re as lucky as I am, your parents might even bring you Reese’s peanut butter cups.

Of course, for all college students, Easter brings one other timeless tradition too: looking forward to summer vacation while simultaneously dreading exams. Easter becomes a de facto last hurrah for students studying abroad in the spring, a chance to experience new traditions with their host families and use the time off from school to do some final traveling and sightseeing.

Luckily, there seems to be enough leftover Easter chocolate in Strasbourg to last students through finals week.

Maggie Cregan is a sophomore history and magazine journalism major. From Cleveland to Syracuse to Strasbourg, she enjoys rocking out and getting hopelessly lost. If you want to talk to her about this column, or are Keith Richards, reach her at mmcregan@syr.edu and follow her on Twitter at @MaggieCregan_SU.

Published on April 22, 2014 at 1:00 am

Contact Maggie: mmcregan@syr.edu