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Springy French Vocabulary
Easter’s date changes every year: it occurs on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the vernal equinox – so somewhere between 22 March and 25 April.
The week immediately preceding Easter (Sunday to Saturday) is called Holy Week. Here’s all the French vocabulary you need to celebrate this Christian period of renewal.
| Easter | le Pâques, les Pâques (f) | |
| Passover | la Pâque | |
| spring | le printemps | |
| Lent | le carĂŞme | |
| Holy Week | la Semaine Sainte | |
| Palm Sunday | dimanche des Rameaux Pâques fleuries |
|
| Shrove Tuesday | mardi gras | |
| Ash Wednesday | mercredi des Cendres | |
| Maundy Thursday | jeudi saint | |
| Good Friday | vendredi saint | |
| Easter Sunday | le dimanche de Pâques | |
| Easter Day | le jour de Pâques | |
| Easter Monday | lundi de Pâques |
French Easter expressions
| Joyeuses Pâques ! Bonnes Pâques ! | Happy Easter! | |
| Noël au balcon, Pâques au tison | A warm Christmas means a cold Easter | |
| À Pâques ou à la Trinité | very late, never |
In the French tradition, all the church bells fly to the Vatican on Maunday Thursday, leaving churches silent. They return on Easter with eggs and chocolates, and ring once again.
| basket | un panier | |
| to bless | bénir | |
| branch | un rameau | |
| bunny | un lapin | |
| chick | un poussin | |
| chocolate | le chocolat | |
| chocolate egg | un Ĺ“uf en chocolat | |
| church | une Ă©glise | |
| church bell | une cloche | |
| daffodil | une jonquille | |
| Easter (adjective) | pascal* | |
| Easter brioche | la gâche de Pâques | |
| Easter egg hunt | la chasse aux Ĺ“ufs | |
| Easter procession | un défilé pascal | |
| egg | un Ĺ“uf | |
| fast day | un jour de jeûne | |
| to fly | voler | |
| flying bell | une cloche volante | |
| hen | une poule | |
| lamb | un agneau | |
| meatless meal | un repas maigre | |
| nest | un nid | |
| to paint | peindre | |
| Pope | le pape | |
| pork | le porc | |
| priest | prĂŞtre | |
| rabbit | un lapin | |
| to ring, toll | sonner | |
| wing | une aile | |
| woven palm leaves | palmes tressées |
Easter Monday is a public holiday and is traditionally celebrated with pâquette, where families eat omelettes together. In Bessières (Haute-Garonne), there’s an annual Easter festival featuring the preparation and consumption of a giant Easter omelette: l’omelette pascale et gĂ©ante, which is 4 meters (13 feet) in diameter and contains 15,000 eggs. (This is unrelated to la FĂŞte de l’omelette gĂ©ante [3 meters] that takes place every September in FrĂ©jus [Var].)
* Boys and girls born on or near Easter are often named Pascal and Pascale.
Easter Quizzes
Think you’ve got it? Test yourself on some French Easter terms with this fill-in-the-blank exercise: Joyeuses Pâques
Combine Easter vocabulary with future conjugations in this one: Pâques chez Lise
Or how about a writing challenge? Easter Decorations
Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless French account to do these exercises. If you don’t have one, sign up – it’s free!
French listening practice
- DIY Ĺ“uf avec message surprise Ă l’intĂ©rieur
- D’oĂą viennent les Ĺ“ufs de Pâques ?
- La chasse aux Ĺ“ufs
- Milo : Les Ĺ“ufs en chocolat
Related lessons
French lesson plans
- Easter activity book (Worksheets, pre-K – 1st grade)
- Easter parade image (Worksheet, 1st – 2nd grade)
- Happy Easter: words (Lesson plan, 2nd – 4th grade)
- Les Ĺ“ufs, tout un symbole (Activity, 9th – 10th grade)
More from LKL
French vocabulary for other holidays
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