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.........LANGUEDOC.JOUSTS..............................
For more information, a booklet and CD are available,
“La musique des joutes languedociennes”, see the page on “CDs / Shop” on this
site.
We believe that they originate in Aigues Mortes (Southern France), where
the crusaders waiting to board, also trained up. Moreover we know that a
jousting tournament took place at Sète in 1666, year of the town's foundation.
This traditional game has today become a sport, with its own national
association. It is practised from Béziers to the Grau du Roi, but it's around
the salt-water lake of Thau and especially Sète where the tradition is best
maintained, with an unbeatable enthusiasm. Arguably the best tournament is that
of the monday of Saint Louis at Sète, which now gathers thousands of
spectators. The principal, to push one's adversary into the water with a lance
and a pavois (shield made of wood), is not unique to the Languedoc
region; we also find it in other regions, but the Languedoc jousts differ on
several points: the size of the boats, their propulsion by at least 8 rowers,
the height of the 'tintaines' (the board on which the jouster stands),
the iron trident (the épure) located at the end of the lance, the white
costumes worn by all participants, and of course the omni-presence of its
traditional music, responsible for accompanying the parades and for enlivening
the tournament with the feeling of the charge : “Maridats, tenètz-vos ben”
(Married men, beware). This song evokes past history where the jousts set the
team of singles, or youngsters (blue) against those married, in red. These days
it is an individualist sport and the colours are purely decorative.
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The Languedoc jousts, or 'ajustas'
in Occitan, are similar to the Provence jousts (targa) in the size of
the boats and the height of the standing board. However they differ on several
points: the Provence jousts appear to have given up propulsion by rowing, their
jousters (targaires) do not wear any special clothing, the lances do not
bear the iron trident, and the joust is conducted with the feet parallel, on a
fairly narrow board, whereas the Languedoc jouster (ajustaire) stands
with the left knee bent forward and the right leg held straight and behind.
Another difference : the Provence jouster holds a témoin (small wooden
box) in his left hand and takes the blow from his adversary's lance in a
'breastplate' attached to the body; which is unknown of in Languedoc where the
jouster holds his pavois in the left hand.
In Sète, every jousting day is programmed
according to specific moments (parades, entering the café, entertainment during
the meal and the tournament, boarding of the boats, prize-giving ceremony,
etc.) punctuated by oboes and drums. They even led the dance until the 1950s (a
relaunch of this 'oboe dance' is planned). We owe the fact that this
traditional oboe-drum pair could be heard uninterrupted to this day, to its
privileged role in this tradition, thus (only just) escaping its passing into
folklore, having resisted the competition of fanfares and peňas
(Spanish-style fanfare), a resistance made even more remarkable by the fact
that it had disappeared everywhere else.
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....................L’ALMANAC.SETÒRI........................
This
yearly publication is found amongst the lineage of popular almanacs in 'langue
d'oc' (the original language of the Occitania region, south of France),
having appeared in the 19th century, inspired by the Félibrige,
founded in 1854. The 'felibrenca de Sant Clar' founded the 'armanac cetòri' at
the end of the 19th century; its publication came to an end before
the 1914 war.
In 1980,
Guy Langlois, president of the 'cercle occitan sétois' (Occitanie Sète Circle)
at the time, had the idea of resuscitating the old almanac... Thus was reborn
the 'Almanac setòri', which has appeared every year for the last 30
years, thus overtaking its predecessor in longevity.These
days the Almanac setòri is the fruit of the cooperative effort of the 'ceucle
occitan local', with its president Alain Camelio leading.
The ceucle
occitan setòri has contributed greatly to the publication of the CD Corne d’Aur’oc (Brassens in the Occitania
language, Occitan) and to the works of Languedoc jousting music (see the CDs /
Shop page).
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Price : 10 euros + 3 euros delivery within France.
Order from:
Ceucle occitan setòri / 36, rue de la liberté 34200 Sète
or call : Alain Camelio 04 67 78 98 96
Anyone is welcome to write articles in 'langue d'oc'; for this, send them to: philippe.carcasses@cegetel.net
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