The Village Fête - the Offering
Gorbio is in Fête several times during the year but perhaps the most important is this one - the Fête Patronale de Saint Barthélémy. It takes place over a Saturday and Sunday in August each year. Sunday's events started with the Blessing of the Animals - followed by a chanted mass in the Eglise St. Barthélémy, celebrated by the curé, Père Baudoin.
I'll tell you more about this medieval tradition tomorrow but today we see the offering. In medieval times two chickens were strung up by their feet, hung on a stick and offered to the curé. Today, they are carefully put into a string bag and at the end of the ceremony returned to their breeder. The offering is made by the Festival Committee.
Thank you for the lovely photos of this interesting ceremony Jilly. Very interesting learning about this.
ReplyDeletePhew..I was getting worried about the nature of the offering..nice chicken!
ReplyDeletevery awsome.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Angela...I breathed a sigh of relief on learning the chicken will live! Thanks so much for bringing the story of this special ceremony to life in photos.
ReplyDeletePoor doomed chicken!
ReplyDeleteAh, but how beautifully you've immortalized it.
Ah, perhaps there is hope after all! Humans are becoming more humane. Great photo.
ReplyDeleteheureusement c'est moins barbare maintenant, les coqs ont de la chance.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great photo of a chicken...the feathers have such texture. Nice shot.
ReplyDeleteWell, she certainly got her feathers ruffled, but glad she will live to lay another egg.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that they don't kill the chicken at the festival.
ReplyDelete