Shake off the cold dark winter and welcome in spring with the bright, colourful, topsy turvy world of carnaval in the Pyrénées-Orientales
Ideas of things to see and do when the weather takes a turn for the worse
Everyone loves a vide-grenier! Check out these dates and let us know if we’ve missed any.
Duo Catherine Dagois, singer (contralto) and Edgar Teufel (organ) are well-known to the Catalan public…..
Robert Hébras Lanois, the last survivor of the horrendous massacre of the village of Oradour, has died at the age of 97. (February 2023).
February and March see carnivals all over the P-O – fancy dress, street parades and fireworks, singing, dancing…..along with the symbolic burning of evil spirits. Carnival actually dates back to the ancient Greek spring festival in honour of Dionysus, the god of wine. It was a massive binge – a celebration of excess, and later the church, unable to suppress it, wisely adapted it instead to its own traditions
They might not all be a pulsing whirl of excitement – some are only small gatherings scantily attended – but it’s a great way to support the local producers.
The Saint -Laurent bearfest is based around age old traditions.
Jane Mann describes her visit to the olive and bean festivals in southern Catalonia…..
This French tradition of serving a frangipane filled tart known as the ‘galette des rois’ (or the ‘gateau des rois’ in the South of France) on, or around the 6th January, (the first Sunday of each New Year) actually dates back to the 14th century.