Carnival of Limoux

The carnival of Limoux is a Carnaval which is held with Limoux in the Département of the Aude. It lasts 3 January to March all the weekends and the folk week. It is characterized by an alternation of exits of bands in pierrots only on the principal place of the city. The carnival of Limoux is regarded as the longest carnival of the world.

History

According to a tradition which goes back to the 14th century, the millers celebrated the handing-over of their royalties to the monastery of Prouille the day of fatty Tuesday. Accompanied by ménétriers, they traversed the city while launching dragees and flour.

Since 1604, the carnival is celebrated with Limoux. It was celebrated in costume of miller with a whip and a double sack of flour. The masked people traversed the city by making claquer their whip throwing of the flour and the dragees. They danced of the farandoles to the sound of the oboes and the drums.

Unfolding

This carnival is a rythmée dance, the fécos , accompanied by about fifteen musicians playing the airs typically limouxins, energy from one coffee to another, preceded by the group which ensures the day. The dancers evolve/move religieusement while raising the carabene and by throwing confettis on the heads of the idlers.

The exit

The bands and goudils are côtoient without being interfered under the arcades medieval with the place with the Republic with the city Limoux. This place is bordered of 5 coffees. The bands leave a coffee to go in the other. An exit represents a turn of place by only one band.

Three exits are organized each day of weekend:

exit the 11 hours is devoted to a topic taken in the topicality local, national, even international and turned in derision;
exit the 17 hours is done on airs slower and in a costume chosen by the whole of the band, or the pierrot limouxin;
the 22 hours exit is most solemn because it is held with the gleam of the entorches and the played airs, slower, take part in this so strange and yet familiar atmosphere.

End of the carnival

The end of the carnival proceeds during the night of the Blanquette of Limoux with the day of the judgment of King Carnaval, judgment in Occitan which will lead to its incineration. With this occasion, the song Adiu paure Carnaval is taken again by the fécos and the public.

Bands

A score of bands animates the carnival in turn. The bands are made up of a score of people, arrivals of different horizons: they can represent a district of the city, a car-distributed precise place, a corporation, a declaration of intent of state or. The rules of recruitment inside a band are intransigent: proposed by affinity, the future members must be accepted unanimously. It prepares a long time in advance with the back of the coffees of the city. Rules fixed by the committee of the carnival federate and regulate the ballet of the carnival.

The bands carry all of the proper names to their district or their characteristic:

the Jouves was founded in 1966. Five founding members are in the beginning. This group borders the 16 people today. They dissociate other bands in particular while leaving their topic 11 a.m. also to 17:00
''' Limouxins ''' Bande founded in 1989. The members of this Band have for characteristic to raise a mask whose nose is inordinately long and in the shape of nozzle of bird (mask of Vénitien style of the " Doctor of the peste"), and a costume in form of long " wrap Fantôme".
Tired Femnos
the Pebradous
the Blanquetiers
the Pont-Vieux , the band with the most important, mixed manpower and including/understanding children. Black permanent costume with red bands, bearing black bonnet on the face initial the " PV" embroidered in red.
Old
the Arcadiens
the Tired Maïnatches
Piotas
Montecristo
Los Encantados
the Aragou
the Paradou
the Pitchous
the Sieurs d' Arques
the Aïssables
the Droles , mixed band including/understanding of the children, created in 2006
Los copins

Goudils

Contrary to the bands, the goudils are masked people who follow the band behind the musicians. They cannot mix with the band. There does not exist rule for the costumes, all the disguises are authorized. The majority carry masks burlesques and whimsical.

See too

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