Calendar celebrations .

Advent

The 1st Sunday of Advent

The beginning of the calendar season. Advent is the period that includes four Sundays before Christmas. It was a time of penance, the beginning of a period of fasting and meditation in preparation for the feast of Christmas. In the past, Advent was announced in the streets with the sound of galoubets and tambourines.

The 4^th of December, Sainte Barbe’s Day

On this day, wheat is sown in three “seitouns” (saucers), three to represent the trinity. Watered abundantly and placed near the fireplace, the wheat must be thick and green at Christmas, when it is placed on the table for the Big Supper.

The 13^th of December, Sainte Luce’s Day

“On Sainte Luce’s Day, the days grow by the leap of a flea”. To accompany this return to light, facades, balconies and windows were illuminated every evening until Christmas with lanterns and candles.

From New Year’s Eve to Candlemas

New Year’s Eve, the 31^st of December

We used to stay up until midnight to wish each other a happy new year by kissing under the mistletoe. On the following day, New Year’s Day, no work was done and especially no laundry. The children went to wish their parents and close friends a happy new year. They received gifts.

The 6^th of January, the Epiphany

The three wise men, on their way to the cot, arrived and the galoubets and tambourines announced it to the village.

To celebrate them, the kings are “pulled”, it means that a brioche crown with candied fruit is eaten in their honour, with a bean hidden inside. The youngest is under the table and designates for each guest the part that will be attributed to him. The “king” must then bring a cake to the next meal.

The 2^nd of February, Candlemas

As the calendar time is really over, the cot is taken down on this day and the santons go back to their occupations.