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Cowboys of the Camargue: Southern France's Fete des Gardians
| Article
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10931 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
5 / 1993 |
314 Words |
| Author
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Cynthia Foster
Cynthia Foster is a freelance photojournalist based in
France. |
Two millennia ago, the Camargue, an expansive river delta in the south of France, was so fruitful that it was considered the granary of the Roman army. Today the plain has so widened its girth that Arles, a port town in Caesar's time, is twenty-eight miles from the Mediterranean. Broken only by mountains of salt reclaimed from the sea, the Camargue is wild and rugged, 367 square miles of delta that seem to have been created as a pastureland for horses and bulls.
The traditional cowboys of the Camargue, the gardians, do not mingle much with outsiders; professional and social needs are satisfied from within the group. Their special heritage has enabled them to understand the spirit of their animals. At times the forceful cores of man and beast seem to forge into one iron-hard essence. At other times, tempers work at cross purposes.
Tourists flock to the Camargue to see four hundred species of protected waterfowl, the bulls (from a safe distance), and the Fete des Gardians. Always held in Arles on the first of May, the festival begins with a parade through the narrow streets of the old town. The gardians are dressed in bright shirts, velvet jackets, and smart hats. Floating effortlessly behind the saddle of each man is a lovely Arlesienne with wide ribbons on her high-piled hair, dressed in the traditional, colorful gown and lace shawl. The procession ends at the church, where the priest blesses the gardians and their horses.
Throughout the summer, Provencal villages play host to a variety of weekend escapades that demonstrate the region's passion for its bulls. Abrivado, bandido, and encierro are high-tension versions of bulls and people
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