CHATEAUNEUF DE MAZENC, DAYS 10, 11 (14 JULY 2010)

14 July – La Fête Nationale. I’d forgotten, but the villagers certainly didn’t. I suspect there has been a several-day-long warm up down the way from our house, where there have been small parties nightly since Saturday. I attributed Saturday’s event to the opening of an éxpo in a small local gallery (people from Paris were expected, but never showed), but now I wonder. By the night of the 13th, the entire village was showing up by 7:30. The talk and laughter got louder as the crowd swelled, but oddly no one broke out a loud stereo. By about 11:30 songs were sung – alternating men and women, it seemed. All sounded vaguely nationalistic as we headed off to bed. I expected some serious celebrating when the Fête itself arrived.

And we were reminded yesterday of the holiday by signs in the Dieulefit Super-U advising that, exceptionally, they would only be open in the morning. Further investigation turned up that the local fruitier and butcher would also close at noon on the 14th. Wednesday morning, fearing a possible shortage of rosé, we walked down the hill to pick some up. Parked cars lined the highway – at least double the number there had been on market day. Every seat was occupied in the 3 local bars/coffee shop/bistros, and people were milling around. The attraction was a massive flea market set up in the park – dozens of stalls selling everything from antiques to used fax machines, and an equestrian spectacle promised to appear twice. (Judging from the photos, a combination of Camargue cowboys and circus acts. It was unclear whether the latter consisted of horses leaping on command, or horses being hoisted aloft by strong men.) But other than that, no marching bands, no drunken youths draped in French flags, no massive decorations… nothing like Canada Day at all. We drove to Marsanne for lunch, and asked the chef why the celebrations did not seem more in evidence. Oh, he said, it’s because we’re Catholics here. We don’t celebrate this; we celebrate the 15th of August. Still wondering about that one. The best I can turn up are a pair of factoids: it seems the French Revolution was not kind to the Catholic church; and 15 August is either Assumption Day (widely celebrated apparently) or the day Catholics were expelled from France for refusing to swear allegiance to the state. Perhaps there will be fireworks down the valley?