Keeping Up With The De Oliveiras: Feria de Parentis

On the 7th of August, I went to the opening ceremony of the Feria de Parentis (also called Feria de la Sen Bertomiu). A Feria is another summer tradition in the south-west of France, though some do take place in other parts of the country (Nîmes and Arles, to name the famous ones). This 5-day-long festival revolves around bullfighting, though originally the feria was more of a farmer's market with lively evening gatherings. But any festayre (the word for feria partygoers) will tell you that to them, the Feria is a street party where everyone can mingle and enjoy themselves, regardless of background and social standing.

As I said before, the feria is a time for the Course Landaise, which I talked about in the blog entry about the croque vaches Aimy and I went to see in July. But it's not just about bullfighting. There are also parades, games and activities for adults and children, and, at night, bodegas, or temporary bars with festive music and food and drink, become the focus of attention. And, another staple of the feria is the presence of bandas, which are somewhat like marching bands in that they often play while walking or standing, but their repertoire is related to the music of the feria - namely the traditional paso dobles and other music associated with the course landaise, as well as silly festival songs with humorous lyrics.

Going to the feria means wearing traditional clothing as well. Everyone dresses in white with red accessories, the most important one being the red kerchief that is only knotted around the neck once the opening ceremony is done - at one point, everyone holds a corner in each hand and waves it back and forth in time with the music. (If you search for Feria de Parentis or Feria de Dax on Google, you'll see lots of pictures of people doing just that)

The opening ceremony took place at the arena in Parentis, and began with the local banda, Lous Pegaillouns, playing traditional music. Next, the 20 year olds (since it was 2015, those born in 1995) came out into the arena in a bus and the mayor gave them they keys to the city and officially declared the feria to be open. After a bit more music, we headed to the bodega run by the banda, where I sampled coeur de canard et frites (duck heart and fries, a traditional dish from Les Landes, the department where I live) for the first time. Then, a succession of bandas played at the bodega and we danced and sang until the wee hours of the morning. It was a lot of fun, though I didn't know any of the traditional songs, but it's definitely something I would like to do again. However, I believe we'll be in BC next year during the 2016 feria, so it'll have to wait until summer 2017!

Panoramic photo of the arena. Jam packed!

We got there an hour and a half before the ceremony stated,
but having friends (and people who could tell me all about
the traditions!) made time go by very quickly!