FOLKLORE : FRANCE
Regionally diverse and visually powerful...
"I lived in Paris for 14 years and toured the country endlessly in search of interesting folkloric events. France is a country with such powerful regional identities and diverse local customs. Many of them are related to the local 'terroir' which combined with 'savoir faire' delivers very particular wines, produce and food culture. Many customs are rooted in centuries-old myths, legends or religious practice. For the filmmaker France is full of fascinating characters, bizarre rituals and spectacular backdrops and I love it."
- Dave Brewis
PAR EXAMPLE...
Up in the mountains...
La Fête de l'Ours is an annual festival held in Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste in the Pyrenees. Three men disguised as bears with sooted faces are each accompanied by a pack of hunters and they tear through the town smearing oil and soot on all bystanders. The festival is based on a legend involving a real bear being shaved, and indeed humanized, after being captured for stealing one of the town's virgins.
Fun in the Dordogne...
Nontron in Dordogne is the setting for Les Soufflaculs which consists of practically the entire town dressing in white night shirts and parading through the streets carnaval style, while singing their song. A select few brandish bellows and go about ridding the devil. The event ends with the burning of an effigy. Many french towns enjoyed this tradition which is thought to date back to the 16th century, but the good folk of Nontron refused to let it die out.
Giants in the North...
In 1479, thanks to the protection of Saint Maurand, the town of Douai repelled the French royal troops who had come to conquer the town, which was then under the control of the Count of Flanders. Since then, an annual procession Les Fêtes de Gayant celebrates this victory. The pair of giants first appeared in 1530 and have never ceased to draw crowds ever since.
Dark times in Alsace...
The origins of some french folkloric events are more recent. La Fête de la Sorcière in the town of Rouffach in Alsace is a medieval festival inside a town known for its stunning gothic architecture and feel. The event takes place in July and is family friendly, until after dark when imaginations are unleashed.
Where art meets flight...
Only the French could combine wine and hang gliding. The festival of flight known as La Coupe Icare has its origins in the 1970s when a bunch of (high) hang glider pilots decided to dress up and launch themselves off a cliff in St Hilare.
Where there is wine there is festival...
France is the country which invented winemaking and wine has such cultural significance that folklore and festivals naturally follow. Fêtes de Vendanges are to be found in most wine producing regions of France, from the Loire valley to Bordeaux to Occitanie. These festivals combine passion with ceremony and are often set against a backdrop of rolling vineyards.