La Sanch

4 "masters" await at the Cathedral doors.

Having been a church musician for most of my life, I have celebrated, if that word could be used, my share of Good Fridays--more than 50 of them.  Some have been simple stripping of the altar, some have involved the Episcopal Church in all its high color and majesty and the Stations of the  Cross.  But I have seen nothing to compare with the procession of La Sanch (pronounced sort of like la sank) this past Good Friday in Perpignan.

Catalan flags haging in the Cathedral square

Mary's "side aisle" in full decor

Before the procession began I spent some time in the Cathedral.  It's relatively small to warrant so grand a title.  It was bedecked with Catalan flags on both the outside and the inside.  Row upon row of lit candles flickered--after all, it was Good Friday.  I found it soothing and comforting inside, even with all the gilt and gold leaf. There were surprisingly few tourists.  

Sweet late morning light

Row upon row

The Master rings the bell to set the cadence for the drummers

The black hooded penitents follow

Beginning at 3 in the afternoon, a procession winds its way through the streets of Perpignan from Saint Jacques Church to the Cathedral of the city.  Perpignan is a city on the south coast of France, very near the Spanish-French border.  It is distinctly Catalan in its nature, and sometimes is known as little Seville.  While I was there for la Sanch, I saw Catalan flags everywhere; only in front of official French administrative buildings did I see the French tri-color.  .  The food, the language, the traditions of Perpignan are more Catalan than French, and Perpignan feels very much like Barcelona. 

The next generation participates

More masked penitents

I positioned myself at the Cathedral end of the procession, at the square leading to the front door.  While the procession was winding its way through the streets, four red-hooded and masked "Masters" stood at the front door of the cathedral awaiting the arrival of the procession of the penitents.  While we waited, here was music of all sorts from liturgical chants to Catalan hymns, as well asw prayers, and little history lessons telling about the history of the procession being broadcast over the loudspeakers placed on poles around the plaza. 

One of the statues being carried

One of the many statues of the Virgin

Soon the sound of a lone bell ringer reached our ears and the crowd grew silent.  A lone red-hatted, red-masked figure dressed in long red robe wearing red gloves entered the plaza ringing out a cadence on his bell.  He was followed by figures wearing the same "costume" only theirs were black.  Both hat and mask combinations are shaped like cones, normally associated with a "Dunce Cap."  I think this is some uniquely Spanish shape, as I have seen photos of the same sort of hat/mask combination, but in sky blue,  Americans think immediately of the KKK, which is unfortunate for these Catalans, as they have absolutely nothing in common.

The tradition crosses generational lines

Young girls wear white lace head scarves

There were children in the procession: altar boys carrying the cross, and the children even had their own statue to carry.  Other young girls marched by dressed in black but wearing white lace head scarves.  This inclusion of children might account for the fact that this procession has been going on for more than 600 years---the tradition is passed down from generation to generation. 

Statue of Jesus and the Romans

Black and red robes

There were many chapters of this penitential order and each carried a statue of a church they represented.  Some of them were quite heavy, requiring 6- 8 people to carry on their shoulders.  Women had their statues, too.  |There were representation of Christ's passion and many different statues of  Mary: as a virgin,, as a grieving mother, as queen. 

Red rope belts and chains

Carrying the statue of the crucified Christ

 There were women dressed in black, with black head coverings.  Some of the marchers were barefoot.  |Some marched with their arms crossed over their chests.  Nobody spoke.  It must have been stifling under all those robes and under that coned mask. One thing is certain, and the penitents themselves express it: "Under the mask we are all equal.":

A group of Masters

Many marched barefooted

I estimate that there were perhaps 30 statues being carried.  They all assembled in the plaza to receive the blessing from the Bishop who awaited them in the doorway of the Cathedral.  The entire procession could not all fit into the plaza and the line stretched for at least 4 blocks outside of the plaza.  

This statue needed 8 bearers

It was solemn--this is no re-enactment.  This is a living tradition that happens every year as it has for centuries.  It now draws a crowd of spectators, but that is not its purpose.  It's about public repentance and atonement.  It's about reminding us to accompany one another through grief.  I found it deeply moving, if a bit puzzling.  It did give me "chair de poule"--flesh of the chicken--goosebumps.  I am glad to have witnessed it.

Gaillac Chinese Lantern Festival

Gaillac Festival of Lanterns

Gaillac is a small town between Toulouse and Albi, a little northwest of Carcassonne, in the Tarn.  Their main claim to fame is wine--they have a renowned white, or so I am told.  But they also are home, for two months to the Feeries de Chine--the Chinese Lantern Festival.  

Debbie and Martin arrive in Gaillac

The town is decorated a la Chinoise

But their Christmas decorations are still up, adding to the festive air

I tried to get to this festival last year, but couldn't get my act together to get a hotel and train tickets booked in a timely fashion.  Last year was the first, and even then it sounded interesting to me.  This year, I was determined that I was not going to miss it.  There was also more publicity about it this year, and it seemed like they were expecting crowds, so timing the visit was important to me.  I absolutely did not want to visit it during school holidays...please God, spare me from the hordes of children and teenagers.  Well behaved as they may be, they still present issues of crowds and jostling for a view.  Then I had to work around some doctor appointments and some other activities.

The Entrance--notice the overhead lights in red and blue

One of the buildings

Another building with dragons and the moon

I had mentioned it to my friends Debbie and Martin, to see if they had any interest in going.  It would involve a hotel stay and train tickets, and then working their schedules into the equation.  Finally, the spoiler was finding a hotel with two rooms available.  That sounds simple; it was not.

Eventually I was able to get us rooms and booked the train tickets.  We were on our way to Gaillac.

Some of the "tableaux"--scenes of people working 

Colorful boat ont he waves

Horse, wagon and driver

Woodworker (I think) at his bench

Lady of the house and her worker

What could they be talking about?

What's for dinner?

Important on the Silk Road

It is an easy train trip from Carcassonne--there's a change in Toulouse to a commuter train that runs to Albi. Even with all the "milk run" stops, we were in Gaillac in time to slide under the deadline for lunch service.  After getting warmed up and filled up, we set off in search of our hotel, which was a little bit out of the main town, but certainly not far.  After checking in, I had a little nap and we met up again to walk to the park where the huge light display was shining over the city.

Flower Garden

Stylized flowers maybe 3 - 4 feet high

Reflected in a building window

More colors

Closer inspection--silk, wire and lights....amazing

I don't know exactly what I expected--a lot of Chinese lanterns in different colors and sizes, perhaps.  But what I found was mind-blowing.  Actually I had read about it in one of the Sunday paper supplements, but even though I had read that there were over 1000 silk-covered sculptures, I had not imagined what that would look like.

Imperial Palace

 

The jewel

Imperial musicians

And the dancer twirled

As it turned out, our timing was perfect.  There was absolutely no line to get in as we were all required to pass through security--one line for women, one for men.  There was never any

feeling of being jostled or hurried along.  I even managed to get some nems--kind of like egg rolls and didn't have to wait in line.  Around 7:30ish there was some minor crowding in front of some of the more spectacular displays like the Imperial Palace.  Bu the whole display covers acres and we felt no sense of being crowded.  There were some children, but not many.  (School night).  I|t wasn't raining, or snowing, which it was expected to do the next day. 

The Elephant and the Dog

 

Porcelain tied in long strips

I so want one of these cups and saucers

There were 4 of these big guys

Jeweled dog And the red "falling star lights in upper right

Up close

I am not going to take time to describe everything I saw. I will let the photos speak for themselves. Highlights for me were the Imperial Palace, and the elephants made of porcelain cups and saucers fashioned using the rope techniques that were used 1000 years ago to shop the precious and fragile porcelain.  I am not a visual processor, so all of this was overwhelming for me.  I found myself falling into my usual pattern of minutiae--a habit I cannot seem to break.  It was hard for me to capture the scale of the exhibits--the Imperial Palace had to be 8 stories high.  In some of the photos you will be able to see the occasional silhouette of people; that should serve to show you how big these exhibits were.

The Dragons 

What a face

Colors in his head

Face-off

Detail on the dragon body

 It was magical--the weather, while not raining at the moments we were in the park, wasn't fabulous.  It was muddy and a bit raw, but we had dressed for the occasion.  It could have been 30 or it could have been 80, I was transported.  

Homage to Their Hosts

 

Wine domaine--wine being "poured" into the glass

Red and black rugby

Rgby and the Cog--the symbol of Gaillac

A nod to Gaillac's wine industry

Dancing waters

Next year, I am going back for two nights.  I know there were lots of things that I missed. I was pretty pleased with the way my photos turned out, as night time photos are a special challenge for me.  I never did get a really good photo of the hundreds of red lanterns hanging overhead.  I so wanted to bring home a red lantern, or actually several small red lanterns to hang in a column from my window. 

A Few Odds and Ends

One of my very favorites

White rhinos and the best shot of the hanging red lanterns

Abacus

Fan

On the Silk Road

The festival ends on the 6th of February.