Christmas Eve

Les Pennes-Mirabeau and Trets (week 24)

We finally figured out where Marseille's box stores are: just north of the city, on the Aix-Marseille highway, there is a large complex of stores in Les Pennes-Mirabeau.  Probably the Aix people use it too when they aren't too snobby for such places.  We went there to visit JouéClub, the equivalent of Toys-R-Us, so David and Andrew could spend the money they've been saving (and receiving from relatives for Christmas gifts).  David picked up a large Lego Chima set (how are we going to get that home?) and Andrew splurged on ..... a Beanie Baby.  A single €6 Beanie Baby.  It is very cute, but there was no convincing him he could also buy more than that with his accumulated €100.  For dinner we discovered across from the JouéClub an honest-to-goodness Steak 'N Shake.  So to celebrate the Christmas spirit in the south of France, we grabbed burgers at the quintessential midwestern U.S. fast-food chain.

Christmas Eve found us at l'Église Paroissiale de Notre Dame de Nazareth in Trets.  There are 3 churches that share a priest - in Trets (the largest), Puyloubier, and Rousset.  Therefore, the 7pm Christmas Eve mass is at the largest church.  Even so, it was bursting at the seams.  We found a spot in the back where we had a thin line-of-site to the alter.  The service started with a Provençal carol (at least, the words looked like they were in that language), led by Trets's medieval club, who we've seen before at the Medieval Fair and other celebrations.  They also used traditional instruments (wooden flutes/recorders and drums) rather than the organ for all the music.  We were unfamiliar with most of the tunes, except for Les anges dans nos campagnes, which we know as "Angels We Have Heard on High" (the translated lyrics in English are similar to the original French).




The big show, however, was just prior to the service, with a torchlight procession through the town.  Since they take such things literally in France, actual flaming torches were used.  The parade also included three donkeys, at least four goats, and a couple sheep.  The medieval club led the procession (and the animals) in their period costumes and played music, again we assumed they were traditional carols as we didn't recognize the tunes.  The pilgrims then doused their torches in the fountain beside the church before going inside.