No part of France, with the exception of Brittany, has preserved its
patriarchal habits, national character, and ancient forms of language,
more than Touraine and Berry. The manners of the people there are
extremely primitive, and some of their customs curious and
interesting. The following account is from the pen of a modern French
writer of great power of observation and description.
It was in winter, near the time of the carnival, a season of the year
when it is very customary to celebrate country weddings. In the
summer, there is seldom time, and the farm-work will not allow of a
three days' holiday, to say nothing of the slackened diligence which
is the unavoidable consequence of a village festival. I was seated
under the large kitchen chimney, when the firing of pistols, the
barking of dogs, and the squeaking sounds of the bagpipe, announced
the approach of the betrothed couple. Presently after, old Maurice and
his wife, with Germain and Marie, followed by Jacques and his wife,
the chief respective kinsfolk, and the godfathers and godmothers of
the betrothed, made their entrance into the yard.
Marie, not having yet received the wedding-presents, called _livrées_,
was dressed in the best attire of her simple wardrobe: a coarse dark
gown; a white handkerchief, with large flowers of gaudy colours; a red
calico apron; a snow-white muslin head-dress, the shape of which
called to mind the _coiffure_ of Ann Boleyn and Agnes Sorel. Marie's
features were fresh-looking, and lighted up with a smile, but without
any expression of pride, albeit she had some good reason for such a
feeling at this moment. Germain was grave and tender in his attentions
to his betrothed, like the youthful Jacob saluting Rachel at the wells
of Laban. Any other girl would have assumed an air of importance and
triumph; for in all classes of society, it is something for a girl to
be married for her sparkling eyes. But Marie's eyes glistened with
tears of emotion and love; you could see at a glance that she was too
deeply affected to be heedful of the opinion of others. Père Maurice
was the spokesman on the occasion, and delivered the customary
compliments and invitations. In the first place, he fastened to the
mantelpiece a branch of laurel ornamented with ribbons: this is called
the _exploit_--that is to say, the form of invitation. He then
proceeded to distribute to each of those invited a small cross, made
of blue and rose coloured ribbon--the rose for the bride, the blue for
the bridegroom; and the guests had to keep this token--the women to
deck their head-dress, and the men their buttonhole, on the day of the
wedding. This is their ticket of admission to the ceremonies.
Père Maurice, after making his compliments, invited the master of the
house and all his 'company'--that is to say, all his children, his
kinsfolk, his friends, and servants--to the benediction, to the
entertainment, to the feast, to the dance, and 'to all the rest;'
observing with the usual form of words: 'I have _done you the honour_
of bidding you to the wedding.'
Notwithstanding the liberality of the invitation carried thus from
house to house, through the whole parish, the natural politeness of
the peasants, which is remarkably discreet, prescribes that only two
persons of each family should avail themselves of the summons--the
head of the family and one of the children.
The invitations being concluded, the betrothed couple and their
relatives repaired to dinner together at the farmhouse, after which
Marie tended her three sheep on the common, and Germain went to work
in the fields, as if nothing had happened.
The day before that appointed for the wedding, at two o'clock in the
afternoon, the band of music arrived--that is to say, the _bagpipe_,
and the man with the _triangle_,--their instruments ornamented with
long floating ribbons, and playing a march for the occasion, somewhat
slow, indeed, for feet not indigenous to the country, but in perfect
harmony with the character of the soil and the up-and-down nature of
the roads in those parts. Some pistol-shots, fired by the young folks
and children, announced the commencement of the nuptials. The company
gradually assembled, and a dance was struck up on the grass-plot
before the house. At nightfall, strange preparations were begun, the
party separating into two bands; and when darkness closed in, they
proceeded to the ceremony of the _livrées_, or present-making.
This took place at the house of the bride--Mrs Guillette's cottage.
The good woman took with her her daughter; a dozen young and pretty
_pastourelles_, Marie's friends and relatives; two or three
respectable matrons, her neighbours, loquacious, quick of reply, and
rigid guardians of ancient usages; then she selected a dozen vigorous
champions from her kinsmen and friends; and lastly, the old
_chauvreur_ or flaxdresser of the parish, a man of eloquence and
address if ever there was one.
The part that in Brittany is played by the _bazvalan_ or village
tailor, is in our part of the country acted by the flaxdresser or
woolcomber--two professions which are often united. He is present at
all solemnities, gay or grave, being essentially a man of erudition
and a good speaker; and on these occasions he has always to act as
spokesman, and to execute well and worthily certain formularies of
speech, in use from time immemorial. His wandering profession, which
introduces the man into so many family circles, without allowing him
to fix himself in his own, naturally serves to render him talkative
and amusing, a ready story-teller, and an able man of song.
The flaxdresser is particularly sceptical. He and another rustic
functionary, of whom we shall speak presently, the grave-digger, are
always the _esprits forts_ of the place. They are so much in the habit
of talking of ghosts, and are so well acquainted with all the tricks
of which these evil spirits are capable, that they scarcely fear them
at all. It is especially in the night that all these worthies,
grave-diggers, flaxdressers, and ghosts, exercise their industry. It
is in the night also the flaxdresser relates his lamentable stories.
But he is no more than the sacristan addicted exclusively to the
pleasure of inspiring his auditors with fear; he delights in raising a
laugh; and is jocose and sentimental by turns, when he comes to speak
of love and Hymen. He is the man to collect and store up in memory the
most ancient songs, and to hand them down to posterity; and, as usual,
he was in the present instance the person charged with the
presentation of the wedding-gifts at the nuptials of Marie.
As soon as all were assembled in the house, the doors and windows were
closed with the greatest care; the very leucomb shutter of the granary
was barricaded; planks, trussels, and tables were put up across all
the points of egress, as if one was preparing to sustain a siege; and
within this fortification reigned a solemn silence of expectation,
until from a distance were heard singing, laughter, and the sound of
rustic instruments. These were the bridegroom's band, Germain at its
head, accompanied by his stoutest companions, the grave-digger,
kinsfolk, friends, and servants, who formed a joyous and solid
_cortège_.
As they approached the house, however, they slackened their pace,
consulted together, and were silent. The young girls, shut up in the
house, had contrived to find little slits in the windows, through
which they watched the procession as it arrived, and formed in order
of battle. A fine chilly rain fell, which added to the excitement of
the situation, whilst a large fire crackled and blazed on the hearth
within doors. Marie would gladly have shortened the inevitable
slowness of this state of siege: she did not at all like to see her
betrothed dawdling about in the wet and cold; but she had no voice in
the affair--nay, she had even to share ostensibly in the cruelty of
her companions.
When the two camps were thus pitched in face of one another, a
discharge of firearms from the party without doors set all the dogs in
the neighbourhood in commotion: those belonging to the house flew to
the gate, barking loudly; and the little children, whom their mothers
vainly endeavoured to quiet, fell to crying and trembling with fear.
The grave-digger, the bard and orator of the bridegroom, now stationed
himself before the door, and in a pitiable voice began a dialogue with
the flaxdresser, who was at the garret-window over the same door.
_Grave-digger._ Hollo! my good folks, my dear neighbours, for mercy's
sake open the door.
_Flaxdresser._ Pray who may you be; and how come you to take the
liberty of calling us your dear neighbours? We don't know you.
_G._ We are honest folks in trouble. Don't fear us, my friends, but
bestow your hospitality on us. The sleet falls fast, our feet are all
frozen, and we have come such a distance that our shoes are worn out.
The flaxdresser inquires sharply who they are, and receives various
ridiculous answers. At length the besiegers say--
_Grave-digger._ Well, then, if you'll not listen to reason, we shall
enter by force.
_Flaxdresser._ Try, if you like. We are strong enough not to fear you;
and as you are insolent, we shall not answer you any more.
So saying, the flaxdresser slammed to the wicket with a bang, and went
down a ladder into the room below. He then took the bride elect by the
hand, and the young folks joining them, all fell to dancing and
shouting gaily, whilst the matrons of the party sang with shrill
voices, and amidst shouts of laughter, at the people outside, who were
attempting the assault. The besiegers, on their side, pretended rage;
they fired their pistols at the doors, set the dogs barking, rattled
the shutters, thumped the walls, and uttered loud cries.
The garrison at last seemed to manifest some desire to capitulate; but
required as a condition that the opposite party should sing a song. As
soon as the song was begun, however, the besieged replied with the
second line; and so long as they were able to do this, they were safe.
The two antagonists were the best hands in the country for a song, and
their stock seemed inexhaustible. Once or twice the flaxdresser made a
wry face, frowned, and turned to the women with a disappointed look.
The grave-digger sang something so old that his adversary had
forgotten it, or perhaps had never known it; but instantly the good
woman took up the burden of the song with a shrill voice, and helped
their friend through his trouble. At length the party of the bride
declared they would yield, provided the others offered her a present
worthy of her. Thereupon began the song of the _Wedding-gifts_, to an
air as solemn as a church psalm, the men outside singing bass in
unison, and the women answering from within in falsetto. In twenty
couplets at least the men enumerate all the wedding-presents, and the
matrons at length consent that the door should be opened.
On this being arranged, the flaxdresser instantly drew the wooden
spigot which fastened the door on the inside--the only fastening known
in most of the dwellings in our village--and the bridegroom's band
rushed in, but not without a combat, for the lads who garrisoned the
place, even the old flaxdresser and the ancient village dames,
considered it their duty to defend the hearth. The invaders were armed
with a goose stuck upon a large iron spit, adorned with bouquets of
straw and ribbons, and to plant this at the fire was to gain
possession of the hearth. Every effort was of course made to attain
this object. Now came a veritable battle, although the combatants did
not come to actual blows, and fought without any anger or ill-will.
But they pressed and pushed one another so closely, and there was so
much emulation in the display of muscular power, that the results
might have been more serious than they appeared amidst the singing and
laughter. The poor old flaxdresser, who fought like a lion, was pinned
to the wall, and squeezed until he could hardly get breath. More than
one hero was rolled in the dust, more than one hand was withdrawn
bleeding from an attack on the spit. These sports are dangerous, and
in consequence of the occurrence of serious accidents, our peasants
have resolved to drop them. The enormous iron spit was twisted like a
screw before it was at length flung across the fire-irons, and the
conquest achieved.
There was now no lack of talk and laughter. Each one exhibited the
wounds he had received; but as they were in many cases given by the
hand of a friend, nobody complained. The matrons cleaned the
stone-floor, and order was re-established. The table was covered with
pitchers of new wine. 'When they had all drunk together, clinking
their glasses, and had taken breath, the bridegroom was led into the
middle of the room; and, furnished with a ring, he had to undergo a
new trial.
During the contest, the bride had been concealed, with three of her
companions, by her mother, her godmother, and her aunts, who had
seated the four young girls on a bench, in a corner of the room, and
covered them with a large white cloth. The three girls had been
selected of the same height as Marie; and this cloth veiling them from
head to foot, it was impossible to distinguish one from another. The
bridegroom was only allowed to touch them with the end of his switch,
to point out which he guessed to be his bride. If wrong, he could not
dance with the latter that evening, but only with the one he had
selected in error.
The party then separated, to re-assemble at eight o'clock the next
morning. At the appointed time, after a breakfast of milk-soup, well
peppered to stimulate the appetite--for the nuptial-feast promised to
be a rich one--all assembled in the farmyard. A journey of several
miles had to be performed to obtain the nuptial benediction. Germain
mounted the gray mare, which had been new shod and decked with ribbons
for the occasion; the bride rode behind him; whilst his
brother-in-law, Jacques, was mounted on the old gray, with the
grandmother. The joyous cavalcade set out, escorted by the children on
foot, who kept firing pistols and making the horses start. Mrs
Maurice, the mother, seated with the children and the village fiddlers
in a cart, opened the procession to the sounds of the little band of
music.
A crowd was gathered at the _mairie_ and the church to see the pretty
bride. We must describe her dress, it became her so well. Her clean
muslin cap, embroidered all over, had lappets trimmed with lace; a
white kerchief, modestly crossed in front, left visible only the
delicate outline of a neck rounded like that of a dove; her dress of
fine green cloth set off her pretty figure; and she wore an apron of
violet silk, with the _bavette_ or bib, which the village lasses have
since then foolishly given up.
At the ceremony of the _offrande_, Germain, according to custom,
placed the _treizaine_--that is to say, thirteen pieces of silver--in
the hand of his bride, and slipped on her finger a silver ring of a
peculiar form, which had existed unchanged for ages, but which has now
been replaced by the _alliance d'or_.
We pass over the ceremony of the wedding. The party remounted their
steeds, and returned home at a rapid pace. The feast was splendid, and
lasted till midnight, interspersed with song and dance. The old folks
did not quit the table for fourteen hours. The grave-digger
superintended the _cuisine_, and filled his part to admiration; in
fact, he was famous in this line, and between the services, he left
his cooking and joined in the dance and song. He was strong, fresh,
and gay as a lark. On leaving a wedding-party, he would go and dig a
grave, or nail down a coffin--a task of which he acquitted himself
with pious care.
We now come to the third and most curious day of the nuptials, which
is still strictly observed. As the ceremony of the _livrées_ is the
symbol of taking possession of the heart and home of the bride, that
of the _chou_ is the type of the fecundity of marriage. After
breakfast the next morning, this performance commenced--a custom of
ancient Gallic origin, which became gradually a sort of Mystery or
Morality of the middle ages. Two lads disappear during the breakfast,
go and dress themselves up, and then return, accompanied by music,
dogs, children, and firing of pistols. They represent a couple of
beggars--husband and wife--covered with rags: they are called the
gardener and his wife (_le jardinier_ and _la jardinière_), and give
out that they have the charge and the cultivation of the sacred
cabbage. The man's face is bedaubed with soot and wine-lees, or
sometimes covered with a grotesque mask. A broken pot or an old shoe,
suspended to his belt with a bit of string, serves him to beg for and
collect the offerings of wine. No one refuses; and he pretends to
drink, and then pours the wine on the ground, in token of libation. He
now feigns to be tipsy, and rolls in the mud; whilst his poor wife
runs after him, reproaching him pathetically, and calling for help. A
handbarrow is now brought, on which is placed the gardener, with a
spade, a cord, and a large basket. Four strong men carry him on their
shoulders. His wife follows on foot, and the old folks come after with
a grave and pensive air; then the nuptial procession march two by two
to the measure of the music. The firing of pistols recommences, the
dogs bark more loudly than ever at the sight of the gardener thus
borne in triumph, and the children jeer him as he passes. The
procession arrives at the bride's dwelling, and enters the garden.
There a fine cabbage is selected--a matter which is not effected in a
hurry, for the old folks hold a council, each one pleading for some
favourite cabbage. Votes are taken; and when the choice is made, the
gardener ties his cord round the stalk, and retreats to the further
end of the garden, whilst the other actors in the comedy--the
flaxdresser, the grave-digger, the carpenter, and the shoemaker--all
stand round the cabbage. One digs a trench, advances, recedes, makes a
plan, spies at the others through a pair of spectacles; and, in short,
after various difficulties and mummeries, the gardener pulls the cord,
his wife spreads her apron, and the cabbage falls majestically amidst
the hurrahs of the spectators. The basket is then brought, the two
gardeners plant the cabbage in it with all sorts of precautions; fresh
earth is put round its root, it is propped with sticks, and carefully
tied up. Rosy apples on the end of sticks, branches of thyme, sage,
and laurel are stuck all round it, and the whole is decked with
ribbons and streamers. The trophy is then replaced on the handbarrow
with the gardener, who has to hold it upright, and prevent any
accident. Lastly, the procession leaves the garden in good order, and
to a measured march. On coming, however, to the gate, and again when
they enter the court-yard of the bridegroom's house, an imaginary
obstacle opposes their passage. The bearers of the burden stumble,
raise a great outcry, draw back, advance again, and, as if repelled by
some invincible force, pretend to give way under their load. Meantime
the bystanders keep exclaiming, to excite and encourage the bearers:
'Bravo!' 'Well done, my boys!' 'Courage!' 'Have a care!' 'Patience!'
'Stoop now; the gate is too low!' 'To the left--now to the right!'
'Look sharp now!' 'Now you're through!'
On reaching the court-yard of the bridegroom, the cabbage is lifted
off the barrow, and carried to the highest point of the house--whether
a chimney, a gable, or a pigeon-house. The gardener plants it there,
and waters it with a large pitcher of wine, whilst a salvo of
pistol-shots, and the joyous contortions of the _jardinière_, announce
its inauguration. The same ceremony is immediately recommenced:
another cabbage is removed from the bridegroom's garden, and carried
with the same formalities to the roof of the house which his wife has
just quitted. These trophies remain there, until the wind and rain
destroy the baskets, and carry away the plants; but they generally
remain long enough to verify the predictions of the village dames,
that ere their removal, the new-married couple shall be blessed with a
pretty little addition to their domestic happiness.
The day is far advanced when these ceremonies are accomplished, and
all that remains, is to escort with music the parents of the young
couple to their homes. There they have a dance, and all is over.