Images: Didier Donnat
The Limoux Carnival: A town in its bubble
by Georges Chaluleau
Like a mirage. From the furthest end of rue Jean Jaurès, white silhouettes of the Millers dance in the fresh air of the morning. The brass section of a lively march wakens the onlookers crowding along the pavements, jostling in the reflections of a faint winter sun. It is Sunday. Soon, in the cafés tucked in the four corners of the main square where the heart of the town beats, the carnival will enter like a current of air, a shooting star vibrating along its trajectory of star dust and brightly coloured confetti. Like a petty thief of emotions rehearsing his concealment in the backroom of a poorly lit café in order to maintain the mystery of anonymity through the costumes; and the sense of belonging for the community of the faithful.
The origins of the carnival go back to before Christianity. Without doubt, the populations of this region have engaged in excesses for at least two millenniums to ward off death and keep nature at bay while waiting for the return of spring and of life. Written references on the carnival date back to the 17th century. Without doubt they attest to the popular traditions instigated by the craft and merchants guilds that have taken place since the mists of time. The Millers, declared ancestors of the Limoux Carnival, didn’t deny themselves a good time on their yearly trips to the town to sell their flour. After eating and drinking to their heart’s content they would dance to the sound of a violin and tambourine under the arches of the old market place. But the slow pace of the dancers thudding heavily upon the ground became assimilated into that of a well-sated man getting up from the table and supported thus the case of the tenant wine growers and the image of grapes being crushed under foot as it was once done.
The carnival start date is determined by Easter. The night of the cremation known as ‘la Blanquette’ was invariably celebrated on the Sunday before ‘Les Rameaux’.
All of the remarkable spectacles, parades and events are reserved uniquely for the market place in Limoux, Place de la République.
The Participants
Ceremonial ritual governs the organization of the processions. Due to three carnival groups per week (two on Saturday and one on Sunday) the Limoux Carnival is said to be the longest in the world, taking place over 10 weeks, with one entire week reserved for the general parade of all the groups (there are at least 30, each group comprising a minimum of 20 people); 500-600 masked people in a town with a population of 10 000, as well as a day dedicated to carnivals of the world. There are three women’s parade groups, including the ‘Fennas’ (Occitan for ‘women’) which first appeared on the carnival scene 40 years ago. Groups may be named after a district (le Paradou, L’Aragou, le Pont Vieux), a profession (les Blanquetiers), a group of self-named inhabitants (les Arcadiens, les Anciens), a special human or social feature (les Jouves (the Young), les Mainatches (children)), or after a character trait (les Enifalurs (the bad asses), les Estabousits (the stupefied), les Aissables (the unbearables)).
The Ceremony
To duple or triple musical rhythms, inspired by popular songs, opera and arias, the orchestral formation made up exclusively of wind instruments, snare and kick drums, goes around the square, making its way behind the carnival groups through the passages of the old medieval arcades. The last three carnavaliers lead the music in keeping with precise gestures led by the first line of musicians, notably the kick drummer who punctuates the trance with the rhythmical banging of his drum. The first parade at 11h is themed, a pretext to satirically present a subject currently gripping the planet, such as sperm banks, the misadventures of Clinton, more recently of Strauss-Kahn, presidential elections, but also local subjects concerning political players; a fact known to everyone. It is the time reserved for bawdiness, place de la République has already been decorated with inflated condoms. Is not the carnival a parody, an interpretation of this topsy-turvy world?
The popular parade par excellence is at 17h. Every group arrives in their specific costumes, with variations of the character Pierrot dominating the proceedings, then follows the same route dancing freely.
The pleasures of the morning’s terrestrial attractions are expunged before the weightless delights that arrive with the complicity of the night and the last parade at 22h. Under the light of the ‘entorches’ some say that as the mystical shadow realm emerges the carnival goers move freely from the world of appearances to the other side. God, or something akin, approaches at that moment so that He is no longer so completely inaccessible.
The intrigue behind the mask
Behind the cortège is a category of people in disguise called les Goudils. They are individuals or groups dressed according to their fantasies. The role of the goudil is to pick someone out in the crowd they know and, disguising their voice from behind their mask so as not to be recognised, they have a conversation with this person of a highly intimate nature, perhaps involving their private life. The aim is to intrigue and to capture the interest of the person. Being masked is very freeing for the person leading the conversation as they clearly profit from the advantage this provides, as well as that of knowing a few things about the life of their interlocutor in order that they willingly confess. This blind rhetorical practice is known as ‘la chine’, from the verb ‘chiner’ meaning ‘to intrigue through words’.
The prestigious sparkles
The bubble of the Blanquette at the carnival is like a crystal ball in which the world is reflected. But you don’t have to work out the future to understand the power which unites the revelers to their favourite drink; and the faith of an entire population in the virtues of this celebratory wine, including the monk Dom Pérignon who it is said stole the recipe and ownership in the 16th century. For three months in Limoux the world fizzes between the popping of corks reverberating in the cafés that are at the heart of the party.
Limoux Carnival: 26th January – Sunday 6th April
Every Saturday and Sunday at 11h/16h30/22h, Mardi Gras 11h/17h/22h
For a full programme of events see :www.limoux.fr
