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Easter in Villefranche de Conflent
19th April - 21st April
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Easter weekend in Villefranche de Conflent
Three days of fun in Villefranche-de-Conflent with traditional musical egg hunt, Goig Dels Ous, giants and cobla in the streets. And on Easter Monday, join the pilgrimage to Notre-Dame-de-Vie, hermitage perched on the pink marble cliffs, 40 minutes walk from the town.
Programme
Saturday 19th April
Goigs dels ou de xicolatada* at 11h followed by Ron-cremat (spiced rhum) and traditional Easter songs.
Sunday 20th April
Parade of the giants at 11h.
Monday 21st April
APLEC de Notre Dame De Vie with mass at 10h30 and 1choir concert at the church at 16h
*Goig dels ous de xocolat – musicians parade through the streets with the ’geganters de Villefranche’ playing Catalan musical instruments (gralles, flaviol and tambourin) and asking for chocolate eggs from the inhabitants of the town in exchange for their music.
The procession of the giants or ’gégants’ through the streets of Villefranche is not to be missed!
*Gegants are enormous painted papier-maché figures, sometimes 14 or 15 ft tall, with traditional clothing and a person inside. Most towns have their own giants, often representing some important person in the history of the town. They usually appear in couples, often as king and queen, or some other important person and go out during the patron saint holiday of the town (Festa Major) or on special days, and dance in the streets with little “big-heads” or “cap-grossos”.