Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th April 2012 - Villefranche de Conflent

Fête des Géants and Goigs - Villefranche de Conflent

 Easter weekend in Villefranche is a bit of a treat. The « Goig dels ous de xocolat » sees musicans « Els Ministrils del Rosselló » parade through the streets with the ’geganters de Villefranche’ playing Catalan musical intruments (gralles, flaviol and tambourin) and asking for chocolate eggs from the inhabitants of the town in exchange for their music.

A few days before the event, lists of music to be played will be posted into everyone’s letter box. Basketsof eggs on ropes lowered out of first floor windows are particularly appreciated! 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".

 

Saturday

16h30 - beginning of the « Goig dels ous de xocolat » Dancing in the street to the music
21h30 - place de l’église : " Complimentary *Ron cremat " and choccie egg distibution.

* Ron cremat - the traditional drink to accompany ’Havaneres’, is made up of a mixture of rum, sugar, lemon peel and coffee beans, with optional cinammon stick, served in an earthenware bowl and flambéed to burn off the alcohol. Havaneres - named after the capital town of Cuba, La Habana (Havana), are sea shanties brought back from Cuba by sailors in the 19th Century, and tell of lost loves and faraway ancestors. These lovely ’sing-songs’ are usually accompanied by guitar and accordion, and sometimes bass.
The reported origins of havaneras was in Cuba in the 19th century, but the first seeds were sewn a little earlier, when the rhythm of a European dance known as the “contradansa” arrived at the island. (The“contradansa” originated from England in the 16th century coming from ’country dance’, and reached France a century later)

 

Sunday

9h00-10h30 : Fêtes des Géants de Villefranche de Conflent with ’colles’ from north and south Catalonia. Plantada des géants - place de l’église (setting up of the giants, warm up for musicians....), descent of the ’oriflamme’ to open the festival.
11h00-12h30 : ’cercavila’ du matin (musical parade of the giants in the village streets)
15h30-17h00 : Afternoon ’cercavila’ followed by the presentation of all the giants and each couple’s special dance.

More info 04.68.53.77.02 or 06.33.24.50.26 Email: gerrit@infonie.fr

 

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