The Camargue region is known for the delta with flamingoes, bulls, salty flats (and sea salts for cooking), and the particular shape of the houses.
I forget which direction they face, but there's always a rounded end with an inclined cross. The amazing thing is that these kind of houses are only seen in an area of a few square kilometers. North towards Nîmes and Avignon or west towards Montpellier you won't see anything like this. I love how particular each small regionof France can be.The Camargue also has it's own particular cross, which was created in 1926 to symbolize the "nation guardiane". A "guardian" is a horseman who raises bulls and herds them with a long stick/spear while on his horse. Traditionally, they wear a certain kind of collared shirt with a small, repetitive pattern.
I hope that the younger generations in France will keep up the local traditions because they are one reason why French culture is so rich. Living in a house with a rounded end and learning to raise horses and bulls might not seem so interesting nowadays. France is moving towards more of a mainstream culture as well, and these small niche cultures might be forgotten.
2 comments:
Hey, I'm going to that region next week! I'm near Orange right now en vacances with David, and we were going to drive down to Sainte-Maries-de-la-Mer on Tuesday to see the horses.
I think the more France does move towards the mainstream, they'll be a real strong pull to preserve the "niche cultures" kind of like what happened in Ireland in the 19th century, the whole revival of "traditional" language and culture. And now it's back to being an official language! And there's always the tourists, if anything, they'll save it for the tourism potential!
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