French short names : Malo and Brieuc
Posted by LN, Friday 2 April 2010 at 10:26 - Breton forenames - Tags
You like short names ... that are not nicknames for Facebook...
True, it is convenient ... for the curb of your last born … easy to be engraved on a gold medallion... Or easy to write with wooden block letters adorning the door of the children's bedroom ...
So... French short names... Those two are famous in Brittany : Malo from Saint Malo and Brieuc from Saint Brieuc. These two Saints have given their names to their cities.They're carved in Carnoët telling their stories: Malo with his boat and Brieuc with his wolf!
Let's go back to their legends...
Malo was born in what is now called Wales, like almost all the other holy founders of Brittany (except one Corentin). Celebrated on November 15, he was the first bishop of Aleth, (one of the peninsula of Saint Malo). Where says the legend, souls at that time needed to be purified ... Patrice Le Guen carved him with a ship because he needed 7 years to cross the Channel before reaching Cézembre (the island in front of St. Malo) ...
Brieuc was a monk. He became the first bishop of Saint Brieuc and the founder of the diocese. Born in 409, in Wales, he spent his life converting ... Once he was an old man, an angel asked him to evangelize Armorica. He crossed the sea with 168 followers and founded a monastery in Treguier that his nephew Tugdual would administer …
As the plague raged in his country of origin, he came back to quiet the epidemy and then returned to Armorica with new monks. He spent his whole life trying to convert sinners (which are symbolized by wolves who want to eat him but he tames them). The statue of Brieuc in Carnoët is shown with the animal at his feet … Later, Brieuc received land from a parent and founded the town of Saint Brieuc.
The legend continued after his death: as many miracles occured on his tomb, he became one of 7 founding saints. He died in 502 and he is celebrated on May 2. Brieuc in Breton is Brieg, Briec or Brioc.
Who are these Overseas Saints?
Originally, (about the 4th C), Christianity conquers Britain and becomes the dominant religion. The title of saint is honorary and given to the clergy. When these Saints cross the Channel to evangelize Armorica, those Great Bretons also import their way of seeing the world ... They manage people, and give their names to the places where they preached. And left their names in the breton toponymy.
Thus, according to the dictionary of Breton heritage, "There are about 800 Breton saints, many of whom are known only by lann or plous (lots of villages'names begin or end with lann or plou) which they have associated their names."
Lire cet article en français : Prénoms bretons courts : Malo et Brieuc
True, it is convenient ... for the curb of your last born … easy to be engraved on a gold medallion... Or easy to write with wooden block letters adorning the door of the children's bedroom ...
So... French short names... Those two are famous in Brittany : Malo from Saint Malo and Brieuc from Saint Brieuc. These two Saints have given their names to their cities.They're carved in Carnoët telling their stories: Malo with his boat and Brieuc with his wolf!
Let's go back to their legends...
Malo was born in what is now called Wales, like almost all the other holy founders of Brittany (except one Corentin). Celebrated on November 15, he was the first bishop of Aleth, (one of the peninsula of Saint Malo). Where says the legend, souls at that time needed to be purified ... Patrice Le Guen carved him with a ship because he needed 7 years to cross the Channel before reaching Cézembre (the island in front of St. Malo) ...
Brieuc was a monk. He became the first bishop of Saint Brieuc and the founder of the diocese. Born in 409, in Wales, he spent his life converting ... Once he was an old man, an angel asked him to evangelize Armorica. He crossed the sea with 168 followers and founded a monastery in Treguier that his nephew Tugdual would administer …
As the plague raged in his country of origin, he came back to quiet the epidemy and then returned to Armorica with new monks. He spent his whole life trying to convert sinners (which are symbolized by wolves who want to eat him but he tames them). The statue of Brieuc in Carnoët is shown with the animal at his feet … Later, Brieuc received land from a parent and founded the town of Saint Brieuc.
The legend continued after his death: as many miracles occured on his tomb, he became one of 7 founding saints. He died in 502 and he is celebrated on May 2. Brieuc in Breton is Brieg, Briec or Brioc.
Who are these Overseas Saints?
Originally, (about the 4th C), Christianity conquers Britain and becomes the dominant religion. The title of saint is honorary and given to the clergy. When these Saints cross the Channel to evangelize Armorica, those Great Bretons also import their way of seeing the world ... They manage people, and give their names to the places where they preached. And left their names in the breton toponymy.
Thus, according to the dictionary of Breton heritage, "There are about 800 Breton saints, many of whom are known only by lann or plous (lots of villages'names begin or end with lann or plou) which they have associated their names."
Lire cet article en français : Prénoms bretons courts : Malo et Brieuc
Read also :
The Gillian Bradshaw historical novel : the wolf hunt
Posted by LN - Tags
I ‘ve read the novel THE WOLF HUNT from Gillian Bradshaw. She wrote this historical novel in 2001.
The book takes place in France and specially in Brittany in 1098. The heroin Marie de Chalandrey, 19 years old, is waiting for the return of his father and brother from the Crusade. But soon with no family (her father and brother died), she is taken to the Duchy of Brittany. She learns the life of the breton court and meets a strange man Tiarnan de Talensac who has a double life at night…
Gillian Bradshaw is an American writter (1956 Virginia) and has lived in different countries : youth in Chile, America of course, France, United kingdom and Chile. She is quite famous, as she wrote plenty of historical novels, books for children or science fiction books.
The novel is interesting because it takes place in Brittany, beetween Rennes, Fougères, Talensac… during the Middle Age. And you feel what were the superstitions of the time… Gillian Bradshaw always tries to be informed about the historical period she writes about and it is quite nice…
Some of her books are translated in French, German or Spanish.
The book takes place in France and specially in Brittany in 1098. The heroin Marie de Chalandrey, 19 years old, is waiting for the return of his father and brother from the Crusade. But soon with no family (her father and brother died), she is taken to the Duchy of Brittany. She learns the life of the breton court and meets a strange man Tiarnan de Talensac who has a double life at night…
Gillian Bradshaw is an American writter (1956 Virginia) and has lived in different countries : youth in Chile, America of course, France, United kingdom and Chile. She is quite famous, as she wrote plenty of historical novels, books for children or science fiction books.
The novel is interesting because it takes place in Brittany, beetween Rennes, Fougères, Talensac… during the Middle Age. And you feel what were the superstitions of the time… Gillian Bradshaw always tries to be informed about the historical period she writes about and it is quite nice…
Some of her books are translated in French, German or Spanish.
Gillian Bradshaw historical novelist, a novel in Brittany during the late Middle Age, Historical novel in Brittany France, Books in Brittany France, Gillian Bradshaw novel writter in France, Historical romance in Brittany France, historical fiction in brittany France, Wolf and historical books in brittany France, A wolf story in Brittany france, Wolf book in the Middle Age
Menhirs, dolmens, cromlechs, megaliths, here is the quiz you’re looking for…
Posted by LN - Tags
1 –The biggest menhir in Brittany weights 30 metric tons ?
It weights much more. Menhir is a breton word : men means stone and hir means long. If you know the French Obélix, it is the stone he is carrying around. The biggest in Brittany lies in Locmariaquer (Morbihan) it used to be 21 meters (more than 65 ft) long but it is broken and lays down on the floor. It weights more than 300 metric tons.
2 – A dolmen is a circle of different stones ?
You’re wrong. A dolmen is a « stonetable » in breton language, that means upright stones that are carrying a roofstone. Dolmen are really often without roof and have misceallanous architectures : the passageway is short to long, it has one to many chambers that are round, rectangular… La Roche aux Fées (Essé, Ille et Vilaine) is a nice one. During the neolitic time, it was probably covered by earth and stones forming a barrow.
3- And what is a cromlech or a cairn ?
A cromlech is a circle of standing stones.
A cairn is a dolmen,( the stonetable I was talking about earlier), but covered by a barrow. It is hidden by an earthen mound and it looks like a small mountain. Barnenez and Gavrinis are two famous breton exemples. Here you can see the tumulus (barrow) of Dissignac close to Saint Nazaire, (Loire Atlantique).
All these buildings have been erected at several periods, some of the stones were carved with symbols. They probably have had different goals, but we don’t know for what. Some were graves, may be some others were temples but we can only guess, the stones could have religious functions, astronomical functions,... We also don’t know why our megalith builders destroyed them (menhir brisé de Locmariaquer). When Christianity begins to appear in Brittany, the stones are already used for pagan rituals, and the Church doesn’t like it. They try to christanize it and carved christian cross or others christian symbols on it.
4 – Were the Egyptian pyramides already built when our ancestors were carrying their menhirs.
Well, some of the breton buildings are much older. We know it surely since the 50’s when carbon 14 was found. And we finally discover that they are really old. The neolithic men built the megalitic buildings between – 5000 and – 2000 BC. Our Egyptian friends began their pyramids around - 3000 when our Bretons are megalith specialists. The megalith time lasted 3000 years. And the buildings done are quite different : short corridors, long corridors, square, circular chambers…
5 - Menhirs , dolmens and other megalithic buildings were built by
- a Celts
- b Druids
a – During the XVIIIth century when the “scientists” began to look at those strange constructions, they thought that the Celts built them. We know now thanks to Carbon 14 that they are much older as Celts arrived in Brittany around 500 BC.
b – Caesar wrote about the druids in their stonetemples but they just used it and did not built it.
6 – In Brittany we say that Pantagruel, and his friends let menhirs everywhere ?
May be you don’t know who is Pantagruel. he is a hero of a book from Rabelais, a French writer from the XVI th century. He is part of the French folklore. Pantagruel, a jovial fellow, is a giant with an enormous appetite, and he is good-humoured.
He is the one who left a tooth in Saint Suliac (menhir de Saint Suliac, Ille et Vilaine). He took a gravelout of his shoe and let it fall in Fort Lalatte,another one in Cap Frehel ...
7 – Others say that the fairies did it !!!
They actually did the dolmen called la Roche aux Fées, that explains its name fairyrock. Look at the work they’ve done with the stones !!!
We don’t have any written signs for this civilization and archeologists guess every time they discover something new. They think now that the settled agricultural communities, that erected the buildings, were quite organized. They probably had a leader and asked the other communities around to help them to built the monument. So the monument was a common work : it needed the help of geologists (stones were not choosen at random and were often extracted far from the place where they wanted to build the monument), engineers for the architecture, astronomists to position the building…they did not need mason as the building are done without mortar.
Some experiences have been done to try to carry the stones : in 1979 at Stonehenge, about hundred men succeded in towing a 32 metric tons stone, supported by logs and using vegetal ropes.
To extract the stones, they probably were introducing small pieces of wood in the crevices of the blocks, and swollen with water, it did fissure the block. What a job!!!
8 – The megalithic architecture was born in Brittany ?
No, it was not but the alignments of Carnac are a famous place because of his high number of stones ( about 3000 and specialists guess that they were much more, may be 10 000). You can see megaliths in many other places in the world, close to us in Corsica, in Sardinia, Malta, Majorca… but also in Asia or South America.
9 – There are just 5 to 10% menhirs left in Brittany ?
Yes, that’s right. During the XIXth century, the “learned society” wanted to study the past and were carrying out excavations. These excavations were destructives because they were just dismantling the sites and razed it after. And also for many centuries, people used the stones to build their houses, later to do the roads. They did not care of culture and inheritage at that time.
10 – Why don’t we find bones under breton stones ?
Well, because the dogs came first !!! Some of them were burial chambers and you find no bones because the soil in Brittany is acid and « eat » the bones. Flints, pottery, pearls,arrows…were found in the megalithic constructions.
11 – What were those stones used for ?
We can only guess, they must have had a religious purpose. Standing stones may be calendars, markers of territory … Dolmens or cairns were burials sites…
Read it in French : Menhirs, dolmens, cromlechs et autres cairns en Bretagne : testez vos connaissances,
It weights much more. Menhir is a breton word : men means stone and hir means long. If you know the French Obélix, it is the stone he is carrying around. The biggest in Brittany lies in Locmariaquer (Morbihan) it used to be 21 meters (more than 65 ft) long but it is broken and lays down on the floor. It weights more than 300 metric tons.
2 – A dolmen is a circle of different stones ?
You’re wrong. A dolmen is a « stonetable » in breton language, that means upright stones that are carrying a roofstone. Dolmen are really often without roof and have misceallanous architectures : the passageway is short to long, it has one to many chambers that are round, rectangular… La Roche aux Fées (Essé, Ille et Vilaine) is a nice one. During the neolitic time, it was probably covered by earth and stones forming a barrow.
3- And what is a cromlech or a cairn ?
A cromlech is a circle of standing stones.
A cairn is a dolmen,( the stonetable I was talking about earlier), but covered by a barrow. It is hidden by an earthen mound and it looks like a small mountain. Barnenez and Gavrinis are two famous breton exemples. Here you can see the tumulus (barrow) of Dissignac close to Saint Nazaire, (Loire Atlantique).
All these buildings have been erected at several periods, some of the stones were carved with symbols. They probably have had different goals, but we don’t know for what. Some were graves, may be some others were temples but we can only guess, the stones could have religious functions, astronomical functions,... We also don’t know why our megalith builders destroyed them (menhir brisé de Locmariaquer). When Christianity begins to appear in Brittany, the stones are already used for pagan rituals, and the Church doesn’t like it. They try to christanize it and carved christian cross or others christian symbols on it.
4 – Were the Egyptian pyramides already built when our ancestors were carrying their menhirs.
Well, some of the breton buildings are much older. We know it surely since the 50’s when carbon 14 was found. And we finally discover that they are really old. The neolithic men built the megalitic buildings between – 5000 and – 2000 BC. Our Egyptian friends began their pyramids around - 3000 when our Bretons are megalith specialists. The megalith time lasted 3000 years. And the buildings done are quite different : short corridors, long corridors, square, circular chambers…
5 - Menhirs , dolmens and other megalithic buildings were built by
- a Celts
- b Druids
a – During the XVIIIth century when the “scientists” began to look at those strange constructions, they thought that the Celts built them. We know now thanks to Carbon 14 that they are much older as Celts arrived in Brittany around 500 BC.
b – Caesar wrote about the druids in their stonetemples but they just used it and did not built it.
6 – In Brittany we say that Pantagruel, and his friends let menhirs everywhere ?
May be you don’t know who is Pantagruel. he is a hero of a book from Rabelais, a French writer from the XVI th century. He is part of the French folklore. Pantagruel, a jovial fellow, is a giant with an enormous appetite, and he is good-humoured.
He is the one who left a tooth in Saint Suliac (menhir de Saint Suliac, Ille et Vilaine). He took a gravelout of his shoe and let it fall in Fort Lalatte,another one in Cap Frehel ...
7 – Others say that the fairies did it !!!
They actually did the dolmen called la Roche aux Fées, that explains its name fairyrock. Look at the work they’ve done with the stones !!!
We don’t have any written signs for this civilization and archeologists guess every time they discover something new. They think now that the settled agricultural communities, that erected the buildings, were quite organized. They probably had a leader and asked the other communities around to help them to built the monument. So the monument was a common work : it needed the help of geologists (stones were not choosen at random and were often extracted far from the place where they wanted to build the monument), engineers for the architecture, astronomists to position the building…they did not need mason as the building are done without mortar.
Some experiences have been done to try to carry the stones : in 1979 at Stonehenge, about hundred men succeded in towing a 32 metric tons stone, supported by logs and using vegetal ropes.
To extract the stones, they probably were introducing small pieces of wood in the crevices of the blocks, and swollen with water, it did fissure the block. What a job!!!
8 – The megalithic architecture was born in Brittany ?
No, it was not but the alignments of Carnac are a famous place because of his high number of stones ( about 3000 and specialists guess that they were much more, may be 10 000). You can see megaliths in many other places in the world, close to us in Corsica, in Sardinia, Malta, Majorca… but also in Asia or South America.
9 – There are just 5 to 10% menhirs left in Brittany ?
Yes, that’s right. During the XIXth century, the “learned society” wanted to study the past and were carrying out excavations. These excavations were destructives because they were just dismantling the sites and razed it after. And also for many centuries, people used the stones to build their houses, later to do the roads. They did not care of culture and inheritage at that time.
10 – Why don’t we find bones under breton stones ?
Well, because the dogs came first !!! Some of them were burial chambers and you find no bones because the soil in Brittany is acid and « eat » the bones. Flints, pottery, pearls,arrows…were found in the megalithic constructions.
11 – What were those stones used for ?
We can only guess, they must have had a religious purpose. Standing stones may be calendars, markers of territory … Dolmens or cairns were burials sites…
Read it in French : Menhirs, dolmens, cromlechs et autres cairns en Bretagne : testez vos connaissances,
Why were the menhir toppled, Compare breton menhirs and egyptian pyramid, What means cromlech, Are the bretons the founders of the menhirs, Are the celts the builders of the menhirs, Are the druids the builders of the dolmens, Fairies and menhirs, Did the fairies build the dolmen, Menhirs in europe, Menhirs a breton speciality, Obelix and his menhirs, What were druids doing with our menhirs, Acid soils and menhirs, Translation of menhir, Why did the neolitic builders destroyed the menhirs in france, Cairns and barrows or tumulus in Brittany France, The largest known single stone erected by Neolithic man in france, What does dolmen mean, What does cromlech mean, What does menhir mean, Translation of dolmen, Translation of cromlech, Understanding megalith in brittany france, Disappearance of megalithic buildings in france, Fairies and megaliths in brittany France, Why don’t we find any human remains under menhirs in France, Visit dolmen and brittany in france, Visit the biggest menhir in brittany in France
Unusual heritage : Cristianized standing stone at Saint Uzec (Saint Duzec) in France (Brittany)
Posted by LN - Tags
North coast of Brittany is beautiful… Specially the pink granite coast. And in land, some kilometers away from the coast, you’ll discover an unusual standing stone.
Everybody knows that Brittany is THE land of standing stones (men in Breton means stone and hir lifted). And even if it is still not clear what they were done for, and that lots disapeared, they are still everywhere. And some of them are unique.
If you stay on the pink granite coast near Pleumeur Bodou, you need to go to the menhir of Saint Uzec (Saint Duzec) on the village called Plemeur Bodou.
This menhir is impressive, massive. First, its size, about 8 meters, on the top of a hill, you can see it from far away.We do not know its meaning when it was first erected during the Neolithic Time (5000 to 4000 BC), but it seems clear that our ancestors wanted it to be noticed. And some centuries later, it has been christianized with a granite cross, 27 sculptures and a painting that has been erased by the time.
You’ll admire it from the chapel of Saint Uzec on the opposite hill.
The granite church was built in the late fifteenth century, long before the transformation of the standing stone. Its bell tower is original - a tower-wall - all rectangular in which you can fit 3 bells. It is dedicated to Saint Uzec (also Judoc or Josse), a Breton prince of the sixth century who did not want to inherit his land and his title and instead became an hermit. 2nd Sunday of July takes place a pilgrimage.
Opposite stands the menhir. Its huge size could impress the Christian spirits. Surrounded by an enclosure, surmounted by a cross and decorated with symbolic sculptures, it is one of the most beautiful Christianised menhirs of Brittany. It became national heritage in 1889.
The tradition says that the menhir was transformed in 1674. And it is as if it alone brought together all the symbols of Christianity, all topped with a carved cross with a Christ on the cross. The 27 sculptures are arma christi (objects or instruments of the Passion). That are images that evoked the suffering and agony of Christ, before and during the crucifixion (Passion of Christ).
They were common in the eighteenth century and understood by the population. Today, those symbols –in France- are no more known.
The sun and moon symbolize the resurrection and death. A spear and a stick or a spear and a reed with a sponge (which satisfies the thirst of Christ on the cross) mention the arrest of Jesus. The vase and the hand are the pictures for Pontius Pilate who sentenced him to death.
A woman praying, Veronica’s veil which was used to wipe his face, the scale refers to the descent of the cross. The seamless tunic (clothing that the Virgin has created for his son who grew up with him), the three nails…
A large panel explains the standing stone in English. The vertical grooves are signs of erosion ... Yes, it's raining in Brittany, huh!
On old postcards of the last century, there are a painting of Christ on the cross, which has unfortunately disappeared. The sculptures were also painted. You can walk in this area, there are lots of paths …
Read it in French : Le menhir christianisé de Saint Uzec en Bretagne
Everybody knows that Brittany is THE land of standing stones (men in Breton means stone and hir lifted). And even if it is still not clear what they were done for, and that lots disapeared, they are still everywhere. And some of them are unique.
If you stay on the pink granite coast near Pleumeur Bodou, you need to go to the menhir of Saint Uzec (Saint Duzec) on the village called Plemeur Bodou.
This menhir is impressive, massive. First, its size, about 8 meters, on the top of a hill, you can see it from far away.We do not know its meaning when it was first erected during the Neolithic Time (5000 to 4000 BC), but it seems clear that our ancestors wanted it to be noticed. And some centuries later, it has been christianized with a granite cross, 27 sculptures and a painting that has been erased by the time.
You’ll admire it from the chapel of Saint Uzec on the opposite hill.
The granite church was built in the late fifteenth century, long before the transformation of the standing stone. Its bell tower is original - a tower-wall - all rectangular in which you can fit 3 bells. It is dedicated to Saint Uzec (also Judoc or Josse), a Breton prince of the sixth century who did not want to inherit his land and his title and instead became an hermit. 2nd Sunday of July takes place a pilgrimage.
Opposite stands the menhir. Its huge size could impress the Christian spirits. Surrounded by an enclosure, surmounted by a cross and decorated with symbolic sculptures, it is one of the most beautiful Christianised menhirs of Brittany. It became national heritage in 1889.
The tradition says that the menhir was transformed in 1674. And it is as if it alone brought together all the symbols of Christianity, all topped with a carved cross with a Christ on the cross. The 27 sculptures are arma christi (objects or instruments of the Passion). That are images that evoked the suffering and agony of Christ, before and during the crucifixion (Passion of Christ).
They were common in the eighteenth century and understood by the population. Today, those symbols –in France- are no more known.
The sun and moon symbolize the resurrection and death. A spear and a stick or a spear and a reed with a sponge (which satisfies the thirst of Christ on the cross) mention the arrest of Jesus. The vase and the hand are the pictures for Pontius Pilate who sentenced him to death.
A woman praying, Veronica’s veil which was used to wipe his face, the scale refers to the descent of the cross. The seamless tunic (clothing that the Virgin has created for his son who grew up with him), the three nails…
A large panel explains the standing stone in English. The vertical grooves are signs of erosion ... Yes, it's raining in Brittany, huh!
On old postcards of the last century, there are a painting of Christ on the cross, which has unfortunately disappeared. The sculptures were also painted. You can walk in this area, there are lots of paths …
Read it in French : Le menhir christianisé de Saint Uzec en Bretagne
Tips for trekking holidays in France
Posted by LN - Tags
Ready for a hike … As I used to work as a guide for walkers and cyclists ... I have some tips and advices to tell you.
1 - A map, it is always better to have one, even when you think you know the place … Cut paths or heavy rain that causes a forced retreat (I know ... I survived an amazing rain with a group in Jersey …)... It is always better to be abble to find a place to hide... Just in case ...
1 - A map, it is always better to have one, even when you think you know the place … Cut paths or heavy rain that causes a forced retreat (I know ... I survived an amazing rain with a group in Jersey …)... It is always better to be abble to find a place to hide... Just in case ...
2 - Two is better as one... You never know ... A little twist (again, I had that problem once) ... and you're so happy not to be alone... with your bad foot !3 - A minimum of "fast food" ... Water and something to eat... depending on the walk ... Classic cereal bars (I'm not a fan), dried fruit, a bag of cookies or chocolate ... (be careful, in summer, it melts ...). If it's a day's hike, think picnic with carbohydrates (bread) and protein (meat, fish, cheese ...), some fruits ...
4 - The minimum for your health ... dressings against blisters ... disinfectant and an advise that may be unuseful in the nowadays mobile phone's world... walk with an onion in your bag (for a "natural" home remedy...)... ... My aunt, a former scout, was in charge of several young girls .... They were singing while hiking .... and she (my aunt) did swallow a wasp or a bee that stings her throat ... Panic on board ... A farmer working in the field,gave him an onion to chew slowly ...... The swelling has deflated ... An old treatment that helped then... She still lives ...5 - Clothing. Light clothes for summer, warm clothing for winter and the whole year a raincoat. Summer cap or winter cap ... Sunglasses ...
6 – Bike tour ... The minimum... pump, patches and tools or even the bomb. An elmet too...7 - Walking tour : good shoes ... (waterproof if possible), and already used ...
8 - Worrying about the weather : it's better ... and avoid the coastal paths and cliffs on windy days ...9 - Telling someone what you do ... It's easier if we are looking for and you've been eaten by a wolf ... Include in your mobile phone under the name ICE (in case of emergency) the person you would like to call if necessary).
10 - Have fun ... Touring is great... Enjoy the Tro Breizh , our paths Compostela ...Read this article in French : Randonner à pied ou à vélo : les 10 conseils
Short weekend hiking in the mountains of Small Britain (Brittany, France)
Posted by LN - Tags
Menez-Bre, this is the breton name of one the highest mountains of Brittany... 302 meters high ! Yes, and I climbed it... the rise of Menez-Bre it's 18% ... of fatigue... or of great pleasure...
Menez-Bre means sacred mountain in breton language (z is sometimes pronounced sometimes not depending on the corner of Britain you live in). It is a beautiful hill where St. Hervé chapel is built.
It is located in the middle of Brittany, a bit North, and it is surrounded by three villages Louargat, Pédernec and Tréglamus.
It can be hiked up from all sides and down on the opposite. And then walk the road, that returns to your starting point.
At the top, the Chapel Saint Hervé dominates the landscape and you will guess, through an orientation table, the different points of the land ... Monts d'Arrée ? Pink granite coast ?
A legend says that Conomor, the breton Bluebeard, was judged here... And it is also there that Gwench'lan, a prophet and a bard of the 5th C, (who refused to convert to Catholicism and had therefore his eyes gouged out, who was an enemy of Christians but a lover of birds) has been buried here after the battle against St. Hervé.
Hence the chapel Saint Hervé, symbol of the winner ! Parts of the building date from the 16th, 17th and 18th C, it has often been rebuilt.
It used to be a place of an important pilgrimage - but it is now unfortunately closed most of the time.
Let me tell you ... the history of Saint Hervé and this French first name.... and its chapel.
He is one of the few saints from Brittany to be born here in Britain in the 6th C. Blind since birth, God would not let him see the deceptive appearances of the world, he became a hermit and was always moving with a wolf. He was also a very popular confessor all over Brittany. He is also a holy bard and exorcist.
A bard ... He is the patron saint of Breton musicians and singers. That is why the Breton bards gathered here all night to pray ... And exorcist …Demons... watch out ! In fact, the 18th C exorcism sessions were held here on the sacred mountain.
One episode is often reported : a priest, Guillermic climbed the hill barefoot reciting prayers... Before him, many exorcists came here to celebrate a Mass at midnight to scare away evil spirits.
Saint Hervé is used to cure anxiety, fears or even depression.
This patron has also sparked a source close to the Chapel (300 meters East) where sick children were plunged to heal.
Many believers suffering from eye diseases or scalp came also on pilgrimage ... to be cured.
Finally, he has composed a the famous breton song the Paradise (Ar Baradoz). Hervé is celebrated June 17.
The Menez-Bre is also, since the Middle Ages, renowned for its horse fairs that stopped in the 1960s.
Hike on the village Louargat... too.
First, because the stones village is nice. And because you will find other excuses to walk around : or rather the menhir Pergat a few kilometers away from downtown. It is one of the highest menhirs in Europe, 7 to 10 meters according to sources.
And another smaller is quite weard... Put your back against the great menhir (don't wear nylon), look at the small menhir, a field of lines of force is created. your hair will tend to stand on your head.
There is also a mound (not easy to find ... I have not found any info about him) is in the opposite direction.
There are also many churches and chapels (Saint Eloi, Our Lady of Snow, St. John, St. Fiacre, Saint Paul, Saint-Sylvestre ...) in this town.
Why not spend a weekend here...
You can choose between accommodation in a cottage very close to the chapel of St. Hervé, or you can pitch your tent in a campsite within the Park of the Manor of Cleuziou (15th – 18thC).
You can even decorate your dishes or salads with herbs gathered in their garden ... Fun, no !
Read this article in French : Week-end de randonnées dans les montagnes de Bretagne : escapade dans le Trégor
Menez-Bre means sacred mountain in breton language (z is sometimes pronounced sometimes not depending on the corner of Britain you live in). It is a beautiful hill where St. Hervé chapel is built.
It is located in the middle of Brittany, a bit North, and it is surrounded by three villages Louargat, Pédernec and Tréglamus.
It can be hiked up from all sides and down on the opposite. And then walk the road, that returns to your starting point.
At the top, the Chapel Saint Hervé dominates the landscape and you will guess, through an orientation table, the different points of the land ... Monts d'Arrée ? Pink granite coast ?
A legend says that Conomor, the breton Bluebeard, was judged here... And it is also there that Gwench'lan, a prophet and a bard of the 5th C, (who refused to convert to Catholicism and had therefore his eyes gouged out, who was an enemy of Christians but a lover of birds) has been buried here after the battle against St. Hervé.
Hence the chapel Saint Hervé, symbol of the winner ! Parts of the building date from the 16th, 17th and 18th C, it has often been rebuilt.
It used to be a place of an important pilgrimage - but it is now unfortunately closed most of the time.
Let me tell you ... the history of Saint Hervé and this French first name.... and its chapel.
He is one of the few saints from Brittany to be born here in Britain in the 6th C. Blind since birth, God would not let him see the deceptive appearances of the world, he became a hermit and was always moving with a wolf. He was also a very popular confessor all over Brittany. He is also a holy bard and exorcist.
A bard ... He is the patron saint of Breton musicians and singers. That is why the Breton bards gathered here all night to pray ... And exorcist …Demons... watch out ! In fact, the 18th C exorcism sessions were held here on the sacred mountain.
One episode is often reported : a priest, Guillermic climbed the hill barefoot reciting prayers... Before him, many exorcists came here to celebrate a Mass at midnight to scare away evil spirits.
Saint Hervé is used to cure anxiety, fears or even depression.
This patron has also sparked a source close to the Chapel (300 meters East) where sick children were plunged to heal.
Many believers suffering from eye diseases or scalp came also on pilgrimage ... to be cured.
Finally, he has composed a the famous breton song the Paradise (Ar Baradoz). Hervé is celebrated June 17.
The Menez-Bre is also, since the Middle Ages, renowned for its horse fairs that stopped in the 1960s.
Hike on the village Louargat... too.
First, because the stones village is nice. And because you will find other excuses to walk around : or rather the menhir Pergat a few kilometers away from downtown. It is one of the highest menhirs in Europe, 7 to 10 meters according to sources.
And another smaller is quite weard... Put your back against the great menhir (don't wear nylon), look at the small menhir, a field of lines of force is created. your hair will tend to stand on your head.
There is also a mound (not easy to find ... I have not found any info about him) is in the opposite direction.
There are also many churches and chapels (Saint Eloi, Our Lady of Snow, St. John, St. Fiacre, Saint Paul, Saint-Sylvestre ...) in this town.
Why not spend a weekend here...
You can choose between accommodation in a cottage very close to the chapel of St. Hervé, or you can pitch your tent in a campsite within the Park of the Manor of Cleuziou (15th – 18thC).
You can even decorate your dishes or salads with herbs gathered in their garden ... Fun, no !
Read this article in French : Week-end de randonnées dans les montagnes de Bretagne : escapade dans le Trégor
Hot fashion trends : French stripped t-shirts...
Posted by LN - Tags
This year, French fashion will be striped... stripped T-shirts... If you don't wear a top T-shirt or a navy striped sweater, you'll be old-fashioned... Fashion is stripped and the wardrobe of babies, children, women and men, youngs, … even old ones, Parisians and Froggs... are full of them. You have to wear some...
The reason for stripes ...
Initially, these stripped clothes have a history and a very specific use ... Fishermen and sailors used to wear (and still do) stripped clothes ... And for good reason ... A man overboard is easier to find with this type of clothing ... That's what the legend says ... I did not try !
No wonder that great clothing brands are French, even Breton : Armorlux for example... has an entire collection of marine clothing... Long or short sleeves, blue, white, red, yellow stripes... Nautical trend is back...
And to buy them cheap, you can either plan to go to France, even Brittany and buy them there on the Armorlux company at Quimper... Or get them on websites Brin de mer, for example, another marine clothing brand, where they sell the last year collection online … cheaper... at really low prices...
Other clothes are originally sailor « wardrobe »... la vareuse , a cotton jacket really thick that protects you from the wind ...
There's also the yellow rain slicker ... The emblem of stormy weather in Britain, of wet and drizzled weekends ... I discovered that its history starts in 1960, in France when a man tired of waiting his friend in the rain, (he was a clothing manufacturer) had this great idea... Before there were oiled jackets... waterproof ... but it was a different time ...
The sailor sweater, buttoned on the shoulder, has had its period of glory ... It used to be wool, 100%, … now they use cotton or other materials...
In short, these stripped tee shirts are trendy ... With the first sunbeams, everyone is wearing them... And you ?
The reason for stripes ...
Initially, these stripped clothes have a history and a very specific use ... Fishermen and sailors used to wear (and still do) stripped clothes ... And for good reason ... A man overboard is easier to find with this type of clothing ... That's what the legend says ... I did not try !
No wonder that great clothing brands are French, even Breton : Armorlux for example... has an entire collection of marine clothing... Long or short sleeves, blue, white, red, yellow stripes... Nautical trend is back...
And to buy them cheap, you can either plan to go to France, even Brittany and buy them there on the Armorlux company at Quimper... Or get them on websites Brin de mer, for example, another marine clothing brand, where they sell the last year collection online … cheaper... at really low prices...
Other clothes are originally sailor « wardrobe »... la vareuse , a cotton jacket really thick that protects you from the wind ...
There's also the yellow rain slicker ... The emblem of stormy weather in Britain, of wet and drizzled weekends ... I discovered that its history starts in 1960, in France when a man tired of waiting his friend in the rain, (he was a clothing manufacturer) had this great idea... Before there were oiled jackets... waterproof ... but it was a different time ...
The sailor sweater, buttoned on the shoulder, has had its period of glory ... It used to be wool, 100%, … now they use cotton or other materials...
In short, these stripped tee shirts are trendy ... With the first sunbeams, everyone is wearing them... And you ?
History of the island of Batz : pretext for a walk
Posted by LN - Tags
TRUE OU FALSE
The island of Batz was connected to the mainland during the Iron Age (8th to 6th BC) ?
Yes, you could walk there at low tide. Last century, thirty neolithic graves (4000 years old) were discovered by Georges Delaselle, the founder of the colonial garden. He dug a hole, protected by a hedge of cypress and pine trees, on the east end of the island (where the garden is now) to house his exotic plants.
A village is buried in the east of the island.
Yes, the present village (where the ferry arrives) is recent.
Until the 17th century, the village was located on the east side of the island, where are the prehistoric tombs. This place may have been continuously inhabited since the Iron Age, as other traces of human presence were found. In any case, the village is covered by 6 feet of dunes.
You’ll understand better if you go to the chapel of St. Anne. This Romanesque church is half hidden in the dunes.
Its square pillars replaced the monastery built by Pol Aurelian, a Welsh arrived in the 5th century to convert Britain. Towards 530, he created a monastery then destroyed by the Vikings in 878.
At the end of the 11th century, when calm has returned the monks rebuilt a church.
When the sands were threatening, it has been gradually abandoned for the Kernoc’h bay. The ruins of the church have been used as an artillery warehouse shortly before and after the French Revolution. Today a mass in the open air is celebrated for Sainte Anne (Holy Ann) end of July The chapel and the cemetery are listed since 1980.
The island has never sent a soldier to the Army.
That is how the tourist guide Joanne (1884) presents the island. On this island, all men are sailors. The soil is grown exclusively by women. And some of them let their name in the history of Batz.
A native Yves Trémintin began to serve the State as a pilot. Soon, he fought with courage against pirates and lost a leg. He finished his life on his island limping ...
There is also a Portuguese privateer ... Balidar, who hated the English and therefore helped the French during the Revolution ... With his vessel, he was hidden in the channel and awaited the enemy ... The Batziens (inhabitants of Batz) prevented him when ships were in sign and he attacked.
The lighthouse of Batz has 500 steps.
It was built between 1836 and 1852. But you have to deserve it… 210 steps to climb…
Enez Vaz means Dragon Island
No, Bazh means in Breton language stick. And it has no link with the legend of the island…
There once was a dragon ... who was terrible.
In the early centuries of the Christian era, Pol Aurelian arrived in Batz to convert the island. The governor of the island begged the saint to set the island free from the monster ...
With the help of another gentleman, he went dressed in his priestly vestments, to the lair of the beast. There, without being intimidated by the wrath of the animal, he surrounded the neck of the dragon with a stole*. And led him to the sea where it disappeared.
On the north of the island, the place known as "Toul ar sarpent", the Trou du Serpent, still has the claw of the dragon printed in the stone.
The two heroes were rewarded. The gentleman was given the privilege to go to church with the sword to the side. As for Pol, he received many presents : a palace that he turned into a monastery. He also made some more miracles : a spring gushed out and healed 3 blind men, two mutes and a paralyzed.
Around the year 600, he was buried in Saint-Pol-de-Léon.
*The stole is retained in the new church of Batz.
Sometimes in Brittany, in legends, snakes replace dragons (because dragons were frequently linked with fairies and fairies are not working all over). The serpent is also more familiar and therefore more credible. These legendary figures are in any case often a symbol of the pagan religions that have to disappear...
Algae have replaced the trees on the island ...
There were very few trees on the island ... Islanders used algae and cow pats dried in the sun as combustible to cook or heat the houses (Tourist guide Joanne, 1884).
The more difficult was to harvest them… at low tide or in water up to the knee, women pulled wrack out of the sea ... Not always easy ... being a woman in Batz!
Today the harvest is done by tractors
or with scoubidous these strange boats, with long arms that gather laminars on the seabed.
British people settled fortifications on Batz
Yes, there are many vestiges of fortification against the English…
4 batteries (18th C) used to defend the Bay of Morlaix : the Penn Ar C'hleguer one is after the exotic garden, the battery Bilvidic, on the opposite edge and the other two on the remaining points.
There are also remnants of the Atlantic Wall (German defensive system of the Second World War) with bunkers .... But the vegetation today hides them well ....
The island is a paradise for early vegetables and organic farmers
The parcels are sheltered by small walls or hedges and fertilized by seaweed. Potatoes, fennel, rhubarb grow ... with a few weeks ahead… early agriculture. 3 harvests a year, sometimes the collection is done by hand.
Half of the island is grown in organic agriculture.
The island deserves its label…
Read it in french : Les histoires de l'ile de Batz : prétexte à une balade
The island of Batz was connected to the mainland during the Iron Age (8th to 6th BC)By bike or on foot, go and get the answers ...
A village is buried in the east of the island
The island has never sent a soldier to the Army
The lighthouse of Batz has 500 steps
Enez Vaz means Dragon Island
Algae have replaced the trees on the island
British people settled fortifications on Batz
The island is a paradise for early vegetables and organic farmers
The island of Batz was connected to the mainland during the Iron Age (8th to 6th BC) ?
Yes, you could walk there at low tide. Last century, thirty neolithic graves (4000 years old) were discovered by Georges Delaselle, the founder of the colonial garden. He dug a hole, protected by a hedge of cypress and pine trees, on the east end of the island (where the garden is now) to house his exotic plants.
A village is buried in the east of the island.
Yes, the present village (where the ferry arrives) is recent.
Until the 17th century, the village was located on the east side of the island, where are the prehistoric tombs. This place may have been continuously inhabited since the Iron Age, as other traces of human presence were found. In any case, the village is covered by 6 feet of dunes.
You’ll understand better if you go to the chapel of St. Anne. This Romanesque church is half hidden in the dunes.
Its square pillars replaced the monastery built by Pol Aurelian, a Welsh arrived in the 5th century to convert Britain. Towards 530, he created a monastery then destroyed by the Vikings in 878.
At the end of the 11th century, when calm has returned the monks rebuilt a church.
When the sands were threatening, it has been gradually abandoned for the Kernoc’h bay. The ruins of the church have been used as an artillery warehouse shortly before and after the French Revolution. Today a mass in the open air is celebrated for Sainte Anne (Holy Ann) end of July The chapel and the cemetery are listed since 1980.
The island has never sent a soldier to the Army.
That is how the tourist guide Joanne (1884) presents the island. On this island, all men are sailors. The soil is grown exclusively by women. And some of them let their name in the history of Batz.
A native Yves Trémintin began to serve the State as a pilot. Soon, he fought with courage against pirates and lost a leg. He finished his life on his island limping ...
There is also a Portuguese privateer ... Balidar, who hated the English and therefore helped the French during the Revolution ... With his vessel, he was hidden in the channel and awaited the enemy ... The Batziens (inhabitants of Batz) prevented him when ships were in sign and he attacked.
The lighthouse of Batz has 500 steps.
It was built between 1836 and 1852. But you have to deserve it… 210 steps to climb…
Enez Vaz means Dragon Island
No, Bazh means in Breton language stick. And it has no link with the legend of the island…
There once was a dragon ... who was terrible.
In the early centuries of the Christian era, Pol Aurelian arrived in Batz to convert the island. The governor of the island begged the saint to set the island free from the monster ...
With the help of another gentleman, he went dressed in his priestly vestments, to the lair of the beast. There, without being intimidated by the wrath of the animal, he surrounded the neck of the dragon with a stole*. And led him to the sea where it disappeared.
On the north of the island, the place known as "Toul ar sarpent", the Trou du Serpent, still has the claw of the dragon printed in the stone.
The two heroes were rewarded. The gentleman was given the privilege to go to church with the sword to the side. As for Pol, he received many presents : a palace that he turned into a monastery. He also made some more miracles : a spring gushed out and healed 3 blind men, two mutes and a paralyzed.
Around the year 600, he was buried in Saint-Pol-de-Léon.
*The stole is retained in the new church of Batz.
Sometimes in Brittany, in legends, snakes replace dragons (because dragons were frequently linked with fairies and fairies are not working all over). The serpent is also more familiar and therefore more credible. These legendary figures are in any case often a symbol of the pagan religions that have to disappear...
Algae have replaced the trees on the island ...
There were very few trees on the island ... Islanders used algae and cow pats dried in the sun as combustible to cook or heat the houses (Tourist guide Joanne, 1884).
The more difficult was to harvest them… at low tide or in water up to the knee, women pulled wrack out of the sea ... Not always easy ... being a woman in Batz!
Today the harvest is done by tractors
or with scoubidous these strange boats, with long arms that gather laminars on the seabed.
British people settled fortifications on Batz
Yes, there are many vestiges of fortification against the English…
4 batteries (18th C) used to defend the Bay of Morlaix : the Penn Ar C'hleguer one is after the exotic garden, the battery Bilvidic, on the opposite edge and the other two on the remaining points.
There are also remnants of the Atlantic Wall (German defensive system of the Second World War) with bunkers .... But the vegetation today hides them well ....
The island is a paradise for early vegetables and organic farmers
The parcels are sheltered by small walls or hedges and fertilized by seaweed. Potatoes, fennel, rhubarb grow ... with a few weeks ahead… early agriculture. 3 harvests a year, sometimes the collection is done by hand.
Half of the island is grown in organic agriculture.
The island deserves its label…
Read it in french : Les histoires de l'ile de Batz : prétexte à une balade
Advice for planting a cherry tree in a garden
Posted by LN - Tags
Do you like cherries ? You want to plant a cherry tree in your garden !
First thing: Make sure you have well-intentioned neighbors and that tey already have a cherry tree at home ... Yes, because to harvest fruits, you need two (cherry trees) ... The tree needs friends to make cherries ...
Obviously, you know that the cherry pits are the beginning of small cherry trees... But you must be lucky .... If you just send its nucleus in the air, you have a chance among x that it will get in a place nice enough to grow. If you notice a little tiny plant, you only have won half the battle. You will still not have good cherries. Because to get soft and sweet fruits, the tree has to be grafted.
Otherwise, more simple, just go buy a cherry tree at a nursery and plant it in the right season (from November to February) ... Don't forget to think about the place it will take when adult (a cherry tree occupies a very important place... 15-20 meters high, do not plant it too close from your other trees !).
Cherry tree is native from Persia. Romans popularized it in our lands. When Japanese appreciate the cherry blossoms for their white flowers, we love it here mainly for its fruit.
Tips around cherry trees
At night, do not walk under the cherry trees... Elves are found of these trees, they like to dance under it by moonlight ... Be careful... People who danced with them never came back... If you want to join them, it will be your last dance.
Japanese have lots of symbols connected with cherry trees and eroticism... cherry blossom is compared to the short life of the samurai. They tattoo it to represent female chastity ... The cherry is very erotic ... : fruits are compared to the lips of a lover ... The juice when you bit it looks like a bleeding ...
Other properties
The cherry wood is used for making musical instruments. Traditionally, the leaves were harvested and added to infusions for people suffering from diarrhea. Or dipped in wine to relieve cough or gout. Cherry tails are known for their diuretic power. ... And pits for water bottles .... Everything is good in the cherry tree!!
Read this article in French : Conseils pour planter un cerisier dans un jardin : planter en deux pour récolter des cerises
First thing: Make sure you have well-intentioned neighbors and that tey already have a cherry tree at home ... Yes, because to harvest fruits, you need two (cherry trees) ... The tree needs friends to make cherries ...
Obviously, you know that the cherry pits are the beginning of small cherry trees... But you must be lucky .... If you just send its nucleus in the air, you have a chance among x that it will get in a place nice enough to grow. If you notice a little tiny plant, you only have won half the battle. You will still not have good cherries. Because to get soft and sweet fruits, the tree has to be grafted.
Otherwise, more simple, just go buy a cherry tree at a nursery and plant it in the right season (from November to February) ... Don't forget to think about the place it will take when adult (a cherry tree occupies a very important place... 15-20 meters high, do not plant it too close from your other trees !).
Cherry tree is native from Persia. Romans popularized it in our lands. When Japanese appreciate the cherry blossoms for their white flowers, we love it here mainly for its fruit.
Tips around cherry trees
At night, do not walk under the cherry trees... Elves are found of these trees, they like to dance under it by moonlight ... Be careful... People who danced with them never came back... If you want to join them, it will be your last dance.
Japanese have lots of symbols connected with cherry trees and eroticism... cherry blossom is compared to the short life of the samurai. They tattoo it to represent female chastity ... The cherry is very erotic ... : fruits are compared to the lips of a lover ... The juice when you bit it looks like a bleeding ...
Other properties
The cherry wood is used for making musical instruments. Traditionally, the leaves were harvested and added to infusions for people suffering from diarrhea. Or dipped in wine to relieve cough or gout. Cherry tails are known for their diuretic power. ... And pits for water bottles .... Everything is good in the cherry tree!!
Read this article in French : Conseils pour planter un cerisier dans un jardin : planter en deux pour récolter des cerises
Advice for planting a cherry tree, Cherry white flowers Japanese symbol, Diuretic infusion natural cherry, The eroticism in Japanese, The cherry fruit erotic in Japan, Photo red cherry, Why graft a cherry, When transplanting a cherry tree, Traditional and natural remedy against gout, Cherry Nippon symbols
Black cats ... for sale
Posted by LN - Tags
- I bought a black cat in France, better in Britain ...
- Hmm, risky !!! Yes, yes, you don't know them ? ... ...
- The advertisement was : black cat for sale for good care ...
- Oh, suspicion ... If, in addition, his master or mistress tells you his name is Paolig ... Sure, you look for trouble, disappointments ... this animal is a strange beast ...
Since the Middle Ages, the black cat has a really bad reputation in France... It is a close, very close friend, even the best friend of the devil ...
In Britain, it's worse, it is not only a friend of the devil ... it is a reincarnation. Many stories, all with the same hero, are told... a black cat named Paolic (or Paolig, little Paul) who brings wealth but also misfortunes.
The classic story is this one : A French (no, a Breton) family in wooden shoes, very poor, just had a baby. They see an end to their miserable fate when they're proposed to buy a black cat ... He loves porridge and breast milk .... The contract states (written very small on the bottom of the leaf) that the cat will bring gold every morning ... (don't forget the pact with the devil ... But this is incidental and the poor man quickly forgets that this is part of the contract ) ...
The cat well groomed, (the first breast feeding is for him), the family is soon rewarded. Paolig brings back every day a purse of gold to his masters. Very soon the poor French becomes rich.
But ... the contract only lasts a year... Once the time gone, the "rich" man has to honor the 2nd part of the pact .... (Give his soul).
The man, being human, tries, anxious, to find another solution (get rid of his loyal colleague who had patiently enriched his master in response to the good treatment he received).
Many tricks are tempted:
- Sell it (once a year there was a black cats fair once a year, but it stopped ... Too many people from all over the world were coming , it was too successful and it became impossible to organize).
- Call the priest who was often requested by those honest flock to help (against a good sum of money!)....
Or you can try an abominable trick to your cat ...
This story don't always tell if the family who won the money so honestly had a peaceful life ...
What is known is that one day the black cat took revenge... The poisoned air contaminates the potatoes and give them the mildew ...
Brittany is a land of legends and superstitions, but beware ... If, unfortunately, you meet Paolic at nightfall at the crossroads of several paths ... You have the evil eye and you have been "spotted" ... Go and ignore the call of the cat ... Because traditions are being lost ... Priests do not know "manage" this type of case, the fair is over ... You will only get away! Faced with this witchcraft of another century!
Do not take too many risks: if you want to buy an animal for your family, the best advice to give you is to go to a good pet store (they guarantee the pedigree cats) or cross the Channel and, in Great Britain, buy an English black cat : there beliefs and symbols are different: black cats bring luck... And forget the witches ...
Read this post in French : Chats noirs à vendre
- Hmm, risky !!! Yes, yes, you don't know them ? ... ...
- The advertisement was : black cat for sale for good care ...
- Oh, suspicion ... If, in addition, his master or mistress tells you his name is Paolig ... Sure, you look for trouble, disappointments ... this animal is a strange beast ...
Since the Middle Ages, the black cat has a really bad reputation in France... It is a close, very close friend, even the best friend of the devil ...
In Britain, it's worse, it is not only a friend of the devil ... it is a reincarnation. Many stories, all with the same hero, are told... a black cat named Paolic (or Paolig, little Paul) who brings wealth but also misfortunes.
The classic story is this one : A French (no, a Breton) family in wooden shoes, very poor, just had a baby. They see an end to their miserable fate when they're proposed to buy a black cat ... He loves porridge and breast milk .... The contract states (written very small on the bottom of the leaf) that the cat will bring gold every morning ... (don't forget the pact with the devil ... But this is incidental and the poor man quickly forgets that this is part of the contract ) ...
The cat well groomed, (the first breast feeding is for him), the family is soon rewarded. Paolig brings back every day a purse of gold to his masters. Very soon the poor French becomes rich.
But ... the contract only lasts a year... Once the time gone, the "rich" man has to honor the 2nd part of the pact .... (Give his soul).
The man, being human, tries, anxious, to find another solution (get rid of his loyal colleague who had patiently enriched his master in response to the good treatment he received).
Many tricks are tempted:
- Sell it (once a year there was a black cats fair once a year, but it stopped ... Too many people from all over the world were coming , it was too successful and it became impossible to organize).
- Call the priest who was often requested by those honest flock to help (against a good sum of money!)....
Or you can try an abominable trick to your cat ...
This story don't always tell if the family who won the money so honestly had a peaceful life ...
What is known is that one day the black cat took revenge... The poisoned air contaminates the potatoes and give them the mildew ...
Brittany is a land of legends and superstitions, but beware ... If, unfortunately, you meet Paolic at nightfall at the crossroads of several paths ... You have the evil eye and you have been "spotted" ... Go and ignore the call of the cat ... Because traditions are being lost ... Priests do not know "manage" this type of case, the fair is over ... You will only get away! Faced with this witchcraft of another century!
Do not take too many risks: if you want to buy an animal for your family, the best advice to give you is to go to a good pet store (they guarantee the pedigree cats) or cross the Channel and, in Great Britain, buy an English black cat : there beliefs and symbols are different: black cats bring luck... And forget the witches ...
Read this post in French : Chats noirs à vendre
Black cats superstition in France, Black cat witchcraft and witch superstition in France, Beliefs and superstitions about cats, Black cats to the superstitious in France, Good luck animals and cats, How to buy a cat, Good luck symbols and cat, Advice to buy an animal for family, Advice to buy a cat for family, Devil and superstitions in France
Pilgrimage in France : Sainte Anne d'Auray in July
Posted by LN - Tags
If you're on your pilgrim's way... stop at Sainte Anne d'Auray...
It was a crowdy place before and even now... For several centuries Sainte Anne has been and still is a great place of Christian pilgrimage. A bit like Lourdes.
The basilica was built in the 19C, when pilgrims were too numerous to fit in the small chapel of Yves Nicolazic. Around 800,000 visitors travel here every year (it is the third place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes and Lisieux).
You'll be amazed by the number of hotels in this small town of 2,000 inhabitants. Sainte Anne d'Auray will be the best accomodation when nearby on the Morbihan coast all the B&B are sold out (the weekends of spring when the cottages and other accommodations are full ... I survived in Sainte Anne d'Auray).
Let's go back to the place of worship. It began in 1622 when, in the hamlet of Ker Anna, a farmer, Yves Nicolazic had "visions" ... Only a year later, in the night of July 25 to 26... Sainte Anne, the grandmother of Jesus will introduce herself ... And later still, when the mother of Mary led the farmer with some other believers to the statue of St. Anne … hidden in the place where once stood a chapel. Anne asked them to rebuild it... 924 years later.
This is the beginning of the legend ... Sainte Anne (St. Anne), mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus choosed Yves Nicolazic.The miracles continued and popular enthusiasm began: the farmer married for many years but with no children, will soon get 4. Pierre Keriolet, a contemporary of Nicolazic, native son, highwayman, rogue of the worst kind and libertine will convert too ... The catholic pilgrimage began...
If the place was venerated already during the 5th C, at the beginning of the evangelization of Britain, the chapel was ruined for many centuries. And the building to replace it soon became too small for pilgrims. A chapel, a cloister, a Scala Sancta and a miraculous fountain were added.
The chapel of the 17th C will be replaced in 1865 by the present church. It still hosts thousands of pilgrims during the feast of Anne (25 and 26 July).
You can see the Scala Sancta in some movies where the pilgrims were climbing. Breton women in knee cap in reciting prayers roamed the stairs ... Another world ...
Near the basilica, a place dedicated to John Paul II, only pope to have come to Britain. More than 150,000 people came to see him in 1996.
You can also visit the house of Yves Nicolazic, which is located near the Basilica (free admission). And every year, at Saint Anne d'Auray, and for those who have not obtained the favors of Saint Guirec, the singles can meet, during a weekend held in May and find true love!
Read this article in French : Pélerinage à Sainte Anne d Auray : le pardon de juillet
It was a crowdy place before and even now... For several centuries Sainte Anne has been and still is a great place of Christian pilgrimage. A bit like Lourdes.
The basilica was built in the 19C, when pilgrims were too numerous to fit in the small chapel of Yves Nicolazic. Around 800,000 visitors travel here every year (it is the third place of pilgrimage in France after Lourdes and Lisieux).
You'll be amazed by the number of hotels in this small town of 2,000 inhabitants. Sainte Anne d'Auray will be the best accomodation when nearby on the Morbihan coast all the B&B are sold out (the weekends of spring when the cottages and other accommodations are full ... I survived in Sainte Anne d'Auray).
Let's go back to the place of worship. It began in 1622 when, in the hamlet of Ker Anna, a farmer, Yves Nicolazic had "visions" ... Only a year later, in the night of July 25 to 26... Sainte Anne, the grandmother of Jesus will introduce herself ... And later still, when the mother of Mary led the farmer with some other believers to the statue of St. Anne … hidden in the place where once stood a chapel. Anne asked them to rebuild it... 924 years later.
This is the beginning of the legend ... Sainte Anne (St. Anne), mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus choosed Yves Nicolazic.The miracles continued and popular enthusiasm began: the farmer married for many years but with no children, will soon get 4. Pierre Keriolet, a contemporary of Nicolazic, native son, highwayman, rogue of the worst kind and libertine will convert too ... The catholic pilgrimage began...
If the place was venerated already during the 5th C, at the beginning of the evangelization of Britain, the chapel was ruined for many centuries. And the building to replace it soon became too small for pilgrims. A chapel, a cloister, a Scala Sancta and a miraculous fountain were added.
The chapel of the 17th C will be replaced in 1865 by the present church. It still hosts thousands of pilgrims during the feast of Anne (25 and 26 July).
You can see the Scala Sancta in some movies where the pilgrims were climbing. Breton women in knee cap in reciting prayers roamed the stairs ... Another world ...
Near the basilica, a place dedicated to John Paul II, only pope to have come to Britain. More than 150,000 people came to see him in 1996.
You can also visit the house of Yves Nicolazic, which is located near the Basilica (free admission). And every year, at Saint Anne d'Auray, and for those who have not obtained the favors of Saint Guirec, the singles can meet, during a weekend held in May and find true love!
Read this article in French : Pélerinage à Sainte Anne d Auray : le pardon de juillet
French