The Passadoc Gazette - No. 110

The weekly 110

Carnival...

CARNAVAL

Moment of joy... we dance in the streets, we sing, we transvestite and this for a long time since we find the first fruits of this feast in ancient Rome. In Venice, a document dating from 1094 mentions « Carnival ».

The good people have fun, celebrates the end of winter, rejoices in the next spring, disguises themselves as crazy, as king, mocks the powerful... For a few hours, under the mask, slaves become masters!

Carnivals can be found on all continents, even if they are quite complex to connect with African, Asian or Amerindian traditions. Today, some are known worldwide, such as those of Venice, Rio... and Nice of course!

If there is no doubt that « Carnival » is synonymous with joys and masquerades, the origin of the word is more nuanced. To sum up, etymologists see it. carn-aval : lift the meat and therefore eat before the deprivations of Lent.

Let's look at writers:

– She's gone like that again! No, no, no, no, no! A real carnival! (Van der Meersch, Invasion.)
– There's a little carnival down to her serious. (Saint Beuve, Monday talks).

In the cinema, Baptist – drowned under the confetti of the carnival – is caught by the dancing crowd, noisy while Garance Far away... Children of Paradise

And among the musicians, this is Saint-Saëns and his famous Animal Carnival!

– What about our carnival in this?

Patience... He's coming... Here he is in IMAGES !

Text Jeanne Monin

Photos – Personal Collection Guy Bouyer

Carnival: origin

The starting point for traditions, often resulting from the transformation of previous rituals, is difficult to determine precisely.

For example:

• The « Sealed » in ancient Babylon (from the 2nd century BC), which were feasts in honor of the goddess Anaitis, with inversion of the roles between slaves and their masters.

• The « Dyonisia » in ancient Greece, which celebrated the god Dionysos (god of the vine, wine... and its excesses) with very lively processions, singers and dancers (but also theatre and oratory games).

• The « Lupercal », feasts of purification of ancient Rome, celebrated from February 13 to 15, in honor of Faunus, god of the forest and herds.

• The « Natural », still in ancient Rome, week of very popular festivities in honor of the god Saturn during which social barriers disappeared ; meals were organized, gifts were exchanged and houses decorated.

Christianity and Carnival

In its desire to impose itself as the only religion, the Church initially fought against these practices, which she considered idolaters. Then she gradually recovered them and integrated them into Christian practices and beliefs.

Thus, the traditions inherited from the Romans gave the Feast of the Fools, the child bishop and finally the Carnival. The Feast of the Fools, which is the election of a pacolette king, marks the reversal of roles and the overthrow of powers. This feast continues today in the Epiphany.

Around the year one thousand, a Christian temporality began to impose itself, strictly separating a fat period and lean days. The moment of the carnival therefore fluctuates, because it is aligned with the feast of Easter and Lent, fixed at forty days from the eighth century.

The moments of liberation from social or religious constraints were considered indispensable by the authorities, anxious to release a little ballast on certain occasions to avoid the risks of revolt. Thus, between the 11th and 13th centuries, a variety of carnival practices flourished in the countryside and cities during the winter.

Provençal Carnival

This year, responding to the call of the Tropezian folk group « Lou Rampeu » which means « reminder », arlequins, fishermen or sailors, from three folk bands in the Gulf, met in Saint-Tropez on Saturday 4 February to celebrate the Provençal Carnival, to the sound and rhythm of the musical groups.

The Troupelenco, the Fifres and Drums (Saint-Tropez), Lei Magnòti (Sainte-Maxime) and L'Escandihado (Cogolin), and Lou Rampeu (Saint-Tropez) marched through the city to finish with the trial and execution of Caramantran. This carnival takes place every year in one of the three cities hosting the groups.

Who's Caramantran?

Caramantran is the emblematic character of the Provençal Carnival. The term Provençal is the contraction of Lent-Entrant and corresponds in Catholic tradition to the last day before Ash which begins the 40 days of meagreness.

Caramantran is also the name of the mannequin who, preceded by the procession of those who will be judges and lawyers in black robes and followed by a barriolated crowd, dressed in dress and gesturing, will be carried on a stretcher and walked through the streets before being burned on the Public Square.

This scapegoat could also take the form of an old woman, the hot old woman, in the region of Saint-Rémy de Provence; a cat in Gap; a witch in Orcières; the pailhassou in Nice.

But before the punishment he will be entitled to a proper trial because he is accused of all the ills that may have occurred during the year in and around the commune (epidemics, freezing, drought, bad harvests, floods, too heavy taxes, etc.); He is held responsible for everything.

Then the court settles down, the president reads the indictment, the inhabitants come to testify against him, express their grievances, the defence lawyers speak out « It's not Caramentran's fault if... ». But he must be guilty and the sentence falls. He is condemned to be burned, sometimes hanged and then burned.

The stake is accompanied by a ritual song.

Text and photos of Patricia M. Renoux.

The Echoes of the Week

The lemons of Menton
Loccitan and Catalan
Auch... Catalan is also spoken
But where does Passadoc's name come from?
Daudet

The Library of Passadoc

The lemons of Menton

In 1895, hoteliers planned to revive the city in winter. The project was retained and by 1896 the show was on the street.

It is first a traditional entertainment: Moucouleti or Moccoletti, small candles that each holds in his hand ; A game is to blow the flame of the neighbor's candle by taking care to keep his own candle lit!

Many years later, a Mentonnais – still a hotelier – embellished its gardens with a profusion of flowers and citrus... And the idea goes down the street! Tree carts (orangers and lemon trees) are decorated and paraded in large arteries.

1929: Menton is recognized as « first producer of lemons on the continent ». Five years later is born Lemon Party. Today it is an event that attracts thousands of tourists, French and foreign, amazed at the originality and dimensions of the topics presented.

Text and photos Marie-Odile Beraud

Occitan and Catalan

Our Provencal anthem, the Santo Coup Start as follows:

Provençau veici la copo

That we vèn di Catalan

But things are not as simple in our friends as their Spanish compatriots designate as « Catalan de buró » ...which can be translated « Catalan mules heads ». In catalá so us plau! (In Catalan please!).

In the Middle Ages, the Spanish and Catalan languages were only one. Gradually, both languages have moved away. The Catalans abandoned the « Oc » to adopt the « If » Castilian.

In order to discuss the Catalan language, it is necessary to be careful because not all people who speak Catalan are Catalan. No worries with the Catalans of the Principat, capital of Barcelona.

If you tell the islanders of the Balearic Islands that they are Catalans since they speak Catalan, you will be badly received! You will be even worse off if you tell the inhabitants of the Valencian pagan that they are Catalans.

The most hostile to Catalans will tell you that their language is not Catalan but rather Catalan. « Southern Norway ». Catalan is also spoken in Sardinia in the city of Alghero (Alguer) and is the official language of the Principality of Andorra.

Is it useful to recall that Catalan is spoken in the Roussillon, capital of Perpignan? The Treaty of the Pyrenees separated the Catalans from the North and the South.

Definitely nothing is simple when it comes to Catalan and Catalans!
André Abbe

Auch... we also speak the language of oc

Auch... the land of D-Artagnan... It's Gascony and we speak the language of Oc!
Text and photos Claude Boyer

But by the way, where does the name Passadoc come from?

9:40 p.m. Who's calling? It's Christophe Malherbe. François Abbe says:

It was with him that we invented the name Passadoc. It was in 2014.

That night Christophe is far away, somewhere in the middle of the desert (he travels a lot). Internet is going very badly. But communication is good enough to think together about names.

Andre we had blown some Provencal verbs: it is Passado who comes out, we add « oc » (the region in which the occitan is spoken, i.e. about the whole southern half of France). And the trick is done! Thank you. Christophe, faithful to Passadoc and its Provençal roots since the beginning!

Daudet...

Gradually, he became famous for his frascism and friendships as well as his literary works.

Long before that, he meets Julia... Alphonse is in love and Julia is far from being insensitive to the charm of this boy "with the senseless hair, the unforgettable look, the poet's forehead"!

Jeanne Monin

Read it here.

IN SALE HERE

Writing – Passadoc. Participants included:
André Abbe
François Abbe
Marie-Odile Beraud
Claude Boyer
Guy Bouyer
Jeanne Monin
Patricia M. Renoux
Layout
Jeanne Monin