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TRADITIONS AND CELEBRATIONS IN CAMARGUE:
Tradition plays a very important rôle in Camargue lifestyle, inspiring a great many celebrations all year round. Arlésiennes, gardians, bulls and horses generally feature at the centre of these festivities...
The Camargue Cross represents the spirit and values of Camargue.
Created in 1924, at the behest of the Marquis Falco de Baroncelli, it symbolises the three cardinal virtues of Faith (represented by the crossed tridents of the gardians), Hope (represented by the fishermen's anchor), and Charity (represented by Saintes-Maries’ heart symbol).
Adopted by the Camarguais people, it features on a wide array of items and products, ranging from textiles to jewels and decorative objects.
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The ARLES COSTUME FESTIVITIES:
Established in 1903 by Frédéric Mistral, the Festo Vierginenco sees local fifteen-year-old girls give up their traditional childhood dresses to don ladies' clothing and ribbons.
Every first Sunday of July, the young girls of the area put on their finest traditional dresses to parade down the Avenue des Lices in Arles. Every three years the festival elects a queen.
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The FÊTE des GARDIANS:
This takes place every 1st of May in Arles.
In the morning, gardians from across the Camargue region parade through town alongside Arlésiennes in their traditional dresses. This is followed by a Provençal mass in honour of Saint-Georges, patron saint of the gardians.
In the afternoon, the gardians demonstrate their skills and prowess on horseback during the equestrian games held in the town's arenas.
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