Trippettes Feast of Barjols in Provence
January’s Trippettes Feast of Barjols, in Provence.
January may not be the most ‘conventional’ month to embark on your travels, but why not initiate your year’s travel itinerary with an experience like no other?
Since 1350, the citizens of Barjols have celebrated the ‘Tripettes Feast of Barjols’ in the Provence region of France. This bizarre festivity combines traditional, sacred and antiquated celebratory practices with some deeply profane ones, with the net result being that a visit to Barjols in January is a truly unforgettable experience for any traveller.
Situated in the centre of Provence, this charismatic village is well-known for its abundant sources of water that includes 43 fountains and ‘lavoirs’ – communal wash basins.
As you can imagine, with such a flourishing water supply, Barjols is a particularly verdurous village in this notoriously ‘emerald’ region of rural French bliss.
This ancient yearly ritual of Tripettes Feast of Barjols begun in the sixth century when an abbot called Marcel returned to Barjols after a trip to Rome where he had met the Pope. In the wake of the now prominent abbot’s death, Marcel is elevated to sainthood, with his tomb being the starting place for regular pilgrimages.
In the early 14th century the village of Barjols was besieged and famine would have albeit destroyed the inhabitants of the village if it were not for a lone cow. Ever since their ‘saviour’, locals have commemorated their ‘sacrifice’, which is regarded as being the actions of their guardian Saint Marcel, each year.
Following the yearly solemn mass, music, dancing and a colourful procession makes its way through Barjol’s streets, emotionally affecting everyone present, even the priest, who never fails to join in the dancing.
Authentic drums and flutes can be heard into the early hours of the morning when muskets are fired into the air and everybody chants, “San Marcel, San Marcel, les tripettes, les tripettes.”
This joyous yet at the same time authentically sombre occasion is the perfect way to discover some of Provence’s purest and most ancient celebrations in a village, which, because of its abundant water supply, been referred to as a place blessed with liquid gold.
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