Festivals of Dax

The Fêtes of Dax indicate the six days of festivities organized annually in the French city of Dax, in the Landes. These employers' festivals are held traditionally around on August 15th. Interfering with the popular rejoicings the spectacles bullfightings Spanish and landaise, Gascon identity and loans in Spain, these days of jubilation literally transform the face of the thermal city, which becomes in the one week space the theater of multiple musical demonstrations, folk or sporting. The streets are invaded by a compact crowd of autochtones and visitors, the paroxysm of the frequentation being reached the evenings of weekend. The city on average receives, according to the estimates, 600.000 people on the totality of the Festivals. For the occasion, it is habit to adorn the raised white clothes of a scarf and a belt reds; this practice is inspired by famous the Fêtes of San Fermín, with Pampelune, in Navarre.

Presentation

History

The Festivals of Dax find their origins in the innumerable fairs and agricultural markets which rythmaient the calendar of the department of the Moors until the beginning of the 20th century. Dax, main city of Chalosse and carry Lande, were a center economic and commercial important as of the Moyen-âge, time when, under English domination, it was authorized to hold two annual fairs.

These commercial events gave probably place to popular rejoicings, and the behavior of races of cows, still completely abstract at the time. It is necessary nevertheless to wait the XIXe century to see appearing the direct ancestor of the current festivals August holiday-makers. It is indeed during first half of the centurie that is installation an annual fair whose dates were fixed at the end of August and at the whole beginning of the month September. To the essential exposures of cattle and farm productions a whole series of demonstrations festive bound for the local population were added, which then adopted the Spanish fashion of the bullfights, which were going little by little to become the principal center of interest.

The festivals were maintained rather late on these dates, since in 1948 still, they took place from August 28th to September 1st. The calendar was inserted then little by little towards the heart of the summer: shifted gradually around the 25, then of August 20th, they find their place final to the 15 of this same month as from the years 1980. Parallel to this calendar evolution, the duration of the festivities varied during the centuries. Thus, if the festivals of the city were spread out from August 27th to 29th in 1854, their duration was five days in 1909. In 1975, finally, they were lengthened one day, changing to six the number of days of entertainments. This characteristic since then remained, except for the year 2000, where, at the time of the new millenium, the festivals were prolonged over one week whole.

Behavior: influences of Pampelune

The port of the white and red behavior is clearly borrowed from the Festivals of San Fermín, which proceed each year from July 6th to 14th in the Navarrese capital. The Fêtes of Bayonne were the first to adopt this practice, and were followed by Dax in the middle of the years 1990.

The festivals of Pampelune exert since strong a long time an influence on the Gascon festivities. Many are indeed landais them to go each year to Pampelune, for the Sanfermines . These " pélerins" paid of Navarre many components of the local cultural heritage, which since were integrated into the Gascon culture, not without to be adapted to the regional tastes. Thus, the Bandas landaises find their origins in the txarangas and other orchestras of peñas pamplonaises, from which they borrowed a repertory which constitute their base, and which is largely interpreted at the time of the Festivals of Dax.

The days with topics, in particular that dedicated to the children, comes straight of Pampelune, where the children are traditionally placed in the middle of the diurnal rejoicings. Initially imported in Bayonne, this organization was then established in Dax, where she is in addition a success not contradicted. The behavior of small a encierro bound for the children was thus put in places from there after being observed in Bayonne. The town of Dax in addition tried to found true a Encierro in the city in 2000; this petition was refused by the ministry for the Interior, for safety reasons.

Unfolding

The festivals take place during six days around August fifteen. Declared opened, they give place to all kinds of demonstrations: taurines, sporting, musical, gastronomical, religious,… They are one important moment in the life of the city. Not only, they metamorphose this calm city with the practice, and make it possible to receive a considerable number visitors, but they are especially an event awaited and prepared with febrility by the population. They are indeed the occasion of regouper in a particular environment the inhabitants of the city: the latter, but also associations and the authorities are côtoient, meet and go visit. Their social dimension is consequently considerable.

Opening and fence

The Festivals of Dax are inaugurated by the Maire, which declares them open after a ceremony, of which the hour, the site and the contents varied during the years. Dax indeed never managed to find a formula sufficiently stable to attract a public many. Since 2003 nevertheless, the commission of popular holidays founded a reconstitution pseudo-history of the Roman past of the city, in the form of procession dressed up to the town hall. At this place, in the presence of bandaged, of groups folkoric landais and of the municipal authorities, a small ceremony proceeds, before the mayor does not give the keys of the city to a representative of a group of dances landaises ( Lous Gouyats of Adou ), and of a peña (the Peña Los Calientes , bandaged it local), which symbolize the festive people of Dax and the local tradition (the handing-over of the keys to these two associations is, on the other hand, old). This new grandiloquent formula knew to attract a public much more provided than before, and is distinguished truly from the character simple and participative of the txupinazo pamplonais, which has the appearance of a reference as regards opening.

The Festival closure takes place in two times. First of all with the arenas, at the conclusion of the last bullfight of the feria. The whole of bandaged official festivals as well as the municipal harmony Nèhe gathers on the track of the arenas to interpret two popular pieces ( Paquito Chocolatero and Vino Griego ), followed by a piece of good-bye to the festivals borrowed from the Pays Basque neighbor: the Agur Jaunak . This event is very run, of many residents of Dax buy a ticket for the bullfight of the day not by afición , but to only be able to attend this moment, called the Agur commonly. Later in the evening, an official ceremony of closure festivals is organized on the banks of the Adour, and punctuated by a fire of artifices.

The feria

The spinal column of the festivals is consisted the feria, this cycle of spectacles taurins organized as from the second day. The traditional programming follows the following diagram:

five bullfights of toros, the evening with 18:00
a bullfight of rejoneo , on August 15th in the morning
a Novillada pricked, one morning
two novilladas not pricked, over two mornings

The arenas of Dax lay out of eight thousand paying places, all taken by storm as of the opening of the counters in July. The bullfights of toros and the bullfight of rejoneo attract a sometimes by far come public indeed: to the buildings aficionados coming from whole France but also of Spain are added. The novilladas without picador receive as for them a more local and family assistance, which makes it possible Dax to post the best rate of filling in France for this kind of spectacles.

Lastly, the bullfights give place to a whole life before and after the arenas. The peñas and clubs taurins, organize tertulias , public discussions where the race of the day is commented on, receive matadors, give to them sometimes of the distinctions,… A circle tauromachic also organizes minis encierro, known as being smallest encierro world, follow-up of a capea , where the members of the public can descend on the track from small arenas for toréer some cows and bull calves.

The day landaise

It is always held the first day of the Festivals, and puts at the honor the cultural heritage, agricultural, sporting and gastronomical Gascon. In the park of the arenas are organized representations of groups folk landais, of the tournaments of skittles of nine, the exposures of craft industry, agricultural work, of cattle, but also a Gymkhana on stilts, in which take part best the waders landais. The whole takes place around points of restoration.

The great appointment of the day is the contest landais of the town of Dax, which has him in evening with the arenas. It gathers the best breedings of races landaises and their cuadrillas. The residents of Dax and chalossais them go very many to this event, which constitutes one of the points of organ of the season of race landaise.

Sport

The commission of popular holidays establishes a program of sporting events intended for all the public ones, and whose principal elements are:

the Feriascapde , pedestrian race of 10 km in the streets of the city,
the Juniorscapade , pedestrian race reserved to the children
tennis tournament,
tournament of fishing,
started from Basque ball,
horse show,
…

Music

The music is an indissociable element of the festivals of Dax. It occupies an important place, in the form of groups of amateurs or professionals, organized or spontaneous concerts, or music incidental music of street. It seizes literally the streets of the city during the six days of the festivals.

The principal musical demonstrations are:

concerts organized by the city and free. They take place at several places of the city, and propose at hours different from the groups of varieties, haversack, or current musics, intended to gather the broadest possible audience in the open air;
concerts organized by bars or associations, as well as the impromptu concerts;
bandaged them, which ensures night and day the animation of the streets, the bars, of the bullfights, of associations. Composed amateurs, they invade the town of their involving music. They are six to ensure the animation of the totality of the festivals in an official way. Others are remunerated by professionals of hotel trade, and some go to Dax for the simple pleasure of playing. Lastly, a day their is devoted during the week: eight other formations coming from the Moors then come to enlarge the row of bandaged already present;
folk orchestras and formations, which come from the whole world, remunerated by the city to animate the processions and to ensure of the representations.

Religion

The religion is not absent from festivals, far is necessary some. Three major demonstrations are held with the cathedral of Dax:

the blessing of the Festivals, which takes place on the square of the door of the apostles. Around an effigy mariale takes place a religious ceremony of blessing of the festive week, followed by a floral offering to " Notre-Dame of Ferias" ;
the Mass of Nèhe, at the time which the municipal harmony Nèhe offers a mass in music in the cathedral;
the mass of bandaged, which attracts a considerable crowd overflowing until the outside of the building, arrival to listen to a ceremony punctuated by the interpretation of traditional pieces by the unit of bandaged official gathered for the occasion.

Popular holiday

It is the gasoline even festivals, which are the occasion to find itself in family or between friends, to let itself carry by the festive atmosphere and musical of the city, while evolving/moving in the streets. Much, in the bars, the peñas, associations are drunk, where with floods all kinds of alcoholic drinks run, which make it possible to raise inhibitions, and to confer more user-friendliness.

Organization

The organization of the Festivals of Dax is entrusted to the Municipal Control of the Festivals and Spectacles, organization under supervision of the town hall of the city. It is about an administrative structure directed by a voluntary president, who as a pilot the action, and a manager, public agent whose role consists in managing the financial questions, commercial and countable. The control is in charge of the management of the budget of the Festivals of Dax and Toros there Salsa, and of the sale of the tickets of paying spectacles which it organizes at the time of the estival festivities. However the concoction of the programs is entrusted at three commissions of voluntary named by the mayor, who appoints in their center a president. The activity of these three commissions is placed under the authority of the president of the control, acting under the authority of the first magistrate, and charged with coordinating the work of these three bodies, which are:

the commission taurine, whose role consists in defining the programming of the spectacles of Spanish bullfighting (composition of the plates taurins, contracts with the matadors and stockbreeders,…) ;
commission of the race landaise, charged with the organization of the various spectacles of bullfighting landaise;
the Commission of Popular holidays, which endorses the programming of all the demonstrations which do not return of the field of the bullfighting (music, processions, sports activities,…).

Dates of the festivals

The dates of festivals are random but are always registered in the first part of August: the festivals of Dax always include/understand on August 15th and the weekend of August 15th.

2007: From August 10th to 15th

2006: From August 11th to 16th

2005: From August 11th to 16th

2004: From August 12th to 17th

2003: From August 12th to 17th

2002: From August 13rd to 18th

2001: From August 10th to 15th

2000: From August 12th to 17th

See too

External bonds

Official site of the town of Dax

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