Carnaval, School Meals and a Lot of Loyalty

“Comment-on dit ‘Mardi Gras’ en anglais”

“Tuesday Fat.”

“Euuhh.. no.”

Having now plunged into the dark depths of Lent (day three and already my dreams are filled with rivers full of melted chocolate... it’s going to be a long forty days!), it was interesting to note how the French mark this date. One thing that continues to leave me stumped here is the separation between sacred and secular festivals, and especially how that division is played out in schools – the playground for French secularity laws.

Mardi Gras and Mercredi des Cendres (Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday respectively) are religious, right? Ash Wednesday in particular symbolises the beginning of Lent, and it notable (and named) after the Christian practice of putting a cross of ashes on the foreheads of churchgoers as a sign of penitence. I know that even in the UK, Shrove Tuesday i.e. Pancake Day, by far overshadows it’s more important yet far less popular festive companion. Yet, in my mind at least, the two are inextricably linked. This makes it a little difficult at school as although you are obviously allowed to teach about religion and religious festivals, you’re not allowed to ‘celebrate’ them.

Hmm..

Yes I don’t really get that either. How come we are allowed to spend over a week making Christmas decorations yet at the first mention of Carême, teachers sit up straight, start listening and shoot me ‘be careful you’re treading a very fine line here’ stares while the students automatically loll back in their seats – ‘oh, don’t worry, it’s Christian’.

Anyway, that is beside the point, and I am sure I will have a lot of time to ponder this paradox come Easter. However, what I did want to mention is the way in which Mardi Gras is celebrated in France, something that I was extremely grateful to be a part of. Arriving at school on Tuesday to be confronted with a Buffalo Bill running round the playground, followed closely by two Spanish dancers and the Karate Kid, I was completely stumped. Turns out, Mardi Gras is also a day for deguisement in France and not only that, but it also linked to the widely celebrated Carnaval. In fact, having spoken to some of the teachers about the festivities, ask any child on Shrove Tuesday why they are dressed up, and they will reply ‘for Carnaval’, rather than for Mardi Gras. Although linked to Mardi Gras and traditionally held in Roman Catholic societies, Carnaval, in a similar way to much of our Yuletide celebrations it has started to take on a much more secular guise, as exemplified by Sarlat’s ‘Cinema’ theme for the 2011 Carnaval.

Unfortunately, Saturday afternoon rehearsals in St Geniès meant that I was unable to attend, but word on the street is that despite the driech weather, everything went smoothly and there was confetti, flour, eggs and silly string in abundance. Another reason for my non-attendance on Saturday evening was that I was fortunate enough to attend a Soirée Années 80 organised by the Amicale Laïque de Temniac. Essentially, the evening consisted of an (extremely long) apéro followed by a sit down dinner interspersed with a lot of dodgy dancing to 80s pop. With over 200 people in attendance, it was a logistical nightmare but contrary to expectations, everything went unbelievably smoothly. Taking place at La Caminel, a restaurant/campsite just 2km from the school, an enormous hall housed four long tables, with a DJ and dance floor at one end. Although the electrics short-circuited about 6 times in the evening, it was an impressive demonstration of good humour, bad dancing and, as the whole shebang was organised by parents of pupils at Temniac, extra-curricular dedication. Kudos to the servers, (Ludo Perusin included... much to his dismay!) who had to squeeze between the tables with tureens of piping hot soup, trays of magret de canard, bowls of thick chips and plate after plate of cheese.

However, what really made the night was the presence of many of my little élèves from Temniac. Having overcome their shock that ‘Eeemogène’ was seen somewhere outside of the school walls and after a lot of awkward giggling bisous, they actually came around to the idea and by the end of the night I was happily dancing with a crowd of red-cheeked little ‘uns, chatting to one of my formerly-painfully-shy private pupils, and being harangued by a gang of my CE1’s running up and down between the tables. Many thanks go to the Perusin’s who invited me, paid for my ticket, kept my glass full, and were unbelievably good company. Second family? Geeze, I have fallen on my feet.

And as a final word, having been called a ‘rugby slut’ (you know who you are Mr Thomas), I just wanted to point out, club rugby is so different here. I promise. The impressive loyalty to club rugby in this part of the world is something that I have never before encountered. For a start, the players are passionate about their game; playing seriously, yet managing avoiding the sort of egotistical conceit that taints so much modern sport, and obviously having a complete ball in the meantime. It is completely unpaid, aside from receiving free food post-match and the occasional expenses reimbursement. Each player has his own job, own life off the pitch, yet still trains twice weekly and plays each Sunday. It slightly reminds me of club rugby as described by Welsh hooker Bobby Windsor in his autobiography ‘The Iron Duke’ (Thanks Cel!)

However, what really strikes me is the dedication of the fans! 5-hour round trip to Bordeaux to watch an away match? No problem. Yesterday saw a mini armada of cars charging along the A89 to support Sarlat CASPN as they took on Gradignan. And this was not out of the blue. I went along with the ‘girls’, a ride that turned into a hilarious day-trip in itself as we stopped off at Beynac, Bergerac, various service stations and (ahem) McDonald’s en route. Delphine, our designated driver, has missed only two matches this whole season. Nadine and Daniel Perusin brought another car-load, and (despite getting lost in the process) uncle Gerard, neighbour Gailou and a cohort of other ‘dads’ helped fill out the Sarlat support. With constant shouts, cheers and a lot of singing, whether home or away, it is no wonder that CASPN Seniors have conceded one defeat in the whole season. Fingers crossed for the final two matches - on verra...! 

For more info.. have a wee look at www.caspn.fr