Carnival in Dunkerque
The Dunkirk Carnival ( French: Carnaval de Dunkerque) is a traditional event of this kind in the Hauts-de-France region in the far north of France . Dunkerque , together with Bailleul and Le Portel, is one of the strongholds of the northern French carnival. For the city, the carnival is one of the biggest folk festivals of the year. In addition to the origins that are common to all Carnival, Mardi Gras and Mardi Gras festivals, the Dunkirk Carnival also has a special nautical component.
history
A mask procession already existed in Dunkirk in 1676. In the 17th and 18th centuries the captains offered the seamen of their fishing fleet with their employment contract a feast (the "foye") and half of their wages as hand money on the day before their departure to the Icelandic fishing grounds. It was a dangerous journey of up to six months to fish for cod . Many of the seafarers did not come back, so consumption was corresponding, especially alcohol consumption on the last day ashore.
These celebrations were the origins of the Visschersbende (fishing gang) and initially independent of the masked carnival. Only later was the sailor tradition culturally combined with the ordinary carnival.
Hall and street carnival
Balls
From the beginning of the New Year, the "Carnavaleux" celebrate in the city's large festival hall and sing carnival songs. The balls are organized by hospitable clubs, but the ball goers are independent and do not have to be members of the clubs. There are more than 50 clubs.
Street carnival
The Dunkirk Carnival Parade is a parade of various independent disguised / masked figures through the city. It is one of the highlights of the street carnival and one of the oldest known manifestations of the Dunkirk Carnival. The carnivalists (Carnavaleux) march along the street. They follow a drum major who is dressed in a historical Napoleonic uniform and leads a brass band, not unlike Guggen music . The drum major determines the route and the music. The train through the streets is repeatedly interrupted by the formation of human chains, the bandes. The participants themselves are not uniformly costumed, like the garden of the Mainz Carnival , for example , but the disguises are rather colorful, bold and original or even coincidental. Common subjects come from the seaman's environment. A motif that appears again and again is the Zulu or the fig man. This is a man with a sock, a fish, or a spider hanging from an umbrella with a multi-colored, overlong stick. The men are often dressed up and made up as women. The panels can be made from old clothing.
Typical elements of the carnival
Herring litter
The highlight of the carnival is the herring throw (le jet de harengs) at the city's historic town hall, which is reminiscent of one of the most important economic sectors in Dunkirk, the herring fishing (later the cod fishing off Iceland). After the throw, the “bands” smell not only of beer and sweat, but also of fish.
Rigodon final at "Place Jean Bart"
The main square of Dunkerque is the "Place Jean Bart". A memorial here has been commemorating the privateer Jean Bart since 1847 . There is dancing until late at night.
swell
- ↑ Website of the city of Dunkerque, History of the Carnival ( Memento of the original from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ List of balls ( Memento of the original dated August 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Lexicon ( Memento of the original from August 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Video from the Carnival in Dunkerque ( Memento of the original from August 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , inside we can see the herring litter, the Rigodon final, a giant and many disguises.
- ↑ Bernard Coussee: Drôles de Carnavals . In: Pays du Nord . No. 15, March 1997, p. 45.
