Smashing Pumpkins

Sunday was one of a number of days on which we are committed to a programme of music training. This extremely expensive course, 10 euros each for a minimum of four full days with a professional teacher, has two objectives. The first is to improve our breathing and singing techniques and therefore, we hope, our singing. The second is to teach us music theory. It’s great fun, if very tiring, but since it always takes place at the weekend we have to forego other events which clash. This Sunday, for example, we were unable to give our full attention to the Pumpkin Festival in our neighbouring village.

This being an agricultural area, celebration of all things rural is a major part of cultural life. Throughout the year we have many festivals related to agriculture and horticulture. We reported on the Mushroom Festival a couple of weeks ago. Keep your eyes open in the future for our writings on the Apple Festival, the Donkey Festival, the Horse Fair and the Potato Festival to mention just a few.

Being relative newcomers to the area, we had assumed that these fares and festivals were deep-rooted parts of the local heritage. In fact, many of them are no more than 20 years old. It was only a determined attempt by the local authorities to boost the local sense of heritage and, thereby, tourism which led to the establishment of what now seem to be long-standing traditional activities. (If, like me, you have difficulty believing that a Potato Festival provides much of a boost to tourism, watch this space. We’re determined to visit one next year.) So it was that our neighbours in the next commune decided, not more than four or five years ago, to hold an annual Fête de la Citrouille or Pumpkin Festival.

If you’ll allow the expression, pumpkins are big around here. All gardeners worth their salt have an area set aside for them and many village entrances and exits are decorated with pumpkins growing in containers. For the most part they are grown for the table and the varieties are relatively common, divided between those for savoury dishes and those for sweet. But judging by the bewildering variety on display at the Festival, there are enough people around who enjoy growing for show and for fun.

We managed to call in on the way back from our course. The place was heaving and everyone seemed to be having a great time (the French really know how to party). As well as the exhibitions, competitions and decorative displays, there were loads of stalls selling everything from the usual cheap tat (football scarves etc) through pumpkin-related produce (jams, chutneys etc.) to foodstuffs made from snails and from nettles. To ensure the party atmosphere was kept at full pitch, an Oom-pah band was going full tilt.

Although we couldn’t spend as much time there as we’d have wished, we’re really glad we got there.