• Some French traditions inspire Easter gifts.laying easter egg image by sumos from Fotolia.com
  
  Celebrating Easter in France includes some traditions also found in America, like hunting for Easter eggs, and some that are found particularly in the French regions. When you are choosing an Easter gift for a French friend or someone especially fond of France, several options honor French traditions at Easter time.
  
  

Bells

• Bells play an important part in celebrations of the Easter holiday in France. On Good Friday, church bells in France go silent, and they do not ring again until Easter Sunday. You can give a friend a pretty silver or gold bell that Christian recipients can ring to symbolize the resurrection. Likewise, small chocolate bells are a traditional French gift for Easter and are eaten to celebrate Easter and the end of the Lenten season of sacrifice.
  
  

Chocolate Fish

• The fish is a symbolic image for Easter in France, much like a rabbit is in America. Children enjoy eating chocolate fish at Easter, and many French candy makers design elaborate and intricate chocolate fish for sale in the weeks leading up to Easter. Order one of these delicacies from a French chocolatier and present it to friends as a French reminder of the season.
  
  

Lamb

• Lamb is the main entree for most French Easter suppers, similar to how ham is a popular Easter dish in some parts of America. If you are dining with a French family for Easter, offer to bring a lamb roast or lamb stew to accompany the meal. If you are sending a gift to a friend ahead of the holiday, consider ordering a rack of lamb from your local butcher and having it sent to your friend's home.