Carnaval de Périgueux
Part of a festive tradition that dates back to the 11th century, the carnival today consists of a parade of floats and groups of musicians along the city's boulevards.
Listed in France's Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2010, the carnival has become famous for its comic, caricatured and satirical personification of Pétassou and the many local beliefs and legends associated with him.
[1] Games and customs were prepared and staged in a codified manner to control the disorder and popular jubilation of Mardi Gras.
[2] To consolidate their local power and control over the city's activities, certain wealthy bourgeois and nobles donate rents for the organization of Mardi Gras.
The leader of the troupe pronounces a burlesque formula [...], makes the man stand up and embraces him, while the music resumes with great noise.
[4] The local authorities sought to control the side-effects of the festivities, issuing a prefectoral decree on July 11, 1921 banning the sale and throwing of streamers on the public highway.
[11] In 1992, French artist Martial Raysse painted Le Carnaval à Périgueux, one of his greatest compositions.
[14][15] Created using the tempera on canvas technique, this full-scale frieze (300 × 800 cm) depicts a contemporary popular festival scene in a style that runs counter to the artistic trends of the time.
[17] First shown at the Jeu de paume in 1992,[17] the artwork is part of the temporary exhibition dedicated to the artist between May 14 and September 22, 2014 at the Centre Pompidou (Paris).
[18] On December 12, 2008, as part of the "Institut Occitan 2008-2010" mission led by Christine Escarmant-Pauvert, a survey was carried out in Périgueux to identify the carnival.
The investigator met with Christian Lafaye, a member of the carnival's organizing committee and head of the town's Calandreta school.
[19] Since July 5, 2010, the Périgueux carnival has been listed in France's Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage, in recognition of its history and its role in local tourism.
[19] Périgueux's carnival consists of parades of floats pulled by trucks and strolls by musicians (bandas, brass bands, percussionists) along the city's boulevards.
[1][7] Made at the start of the carnival season by the organizing committee, schools and neighborhood associations,[19][24] the mannequin that symbolizes Pétassou takes on a human form.
[26] In 1990, Pétassou was renamed "General Petacescu", in reference to the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, executed at the end of the Romanian revolution in 1989.
[21] The incredible stories attributed to him are based on real events, from which only the comic, caricatural, parodic or derisory aspects are extracted.
[21] Through Pétassou's judgment, everyone unconsciously takes the opportunity to stigmatize him, whether as a cuckolded husband, a mean-spirited person, a member of the clergy or an overambitious politician.
[30] Unlike the carnivals of Agen, Bordeaux or Toulouse, Périgueux's is renowned for the scenarios it creates each year, which aim above all to satirize the subjects of everyday local life:[13] economic difficulties, municipal management, unusual news items, or even current events among shopkeepers.
Having also gone to excess on Carnival Day, that same evening he becomes master of ceremonies at the Sabbat, a witchcraft gathering of his servants - witches and werewolves - in an abandoned clearing.
