Branle des chemises

It's carnival time in Aniane, so we all got dressed up in our nighties and went for a walk through the village ... actually we did, it's called the branle des chemises (the dancing nightshirts). Not only that, but one of our neighbours blacked our faces with a burnt wine cork, and we carried paper lanterns with candles inside. A group of a couple of hundred villagers rendezvoused at the village hall (the salle de fetes)at 9.30pm, picked up our lanterns, and to the accompaniment of 'Les Malaiges d'or' (a bit like a mariachi band without the guitars and fancy outfits) we followed the 'grand flambeau' (big lantern) through the streets, dancing around traffic islands, hooting and yahooing through the narrow streets, for about an hour, then finished up again at the Salle des fetes, which was decorated and ready for a party. We sloped off home at this point, but it looked like it was going to be a good night out.

And the big news (literally) is that there was a photographer there, from the Midi Libre, the Montpellier daily newspaper, and a photo of the three of us (and some others), appeared in the paper!! Famous in Aniane!!


Following the grand flambeau


Dancing lanterns in the night