Monday, June 9, 2014

At Whit's End



Today was Lundi de Pentecôte (Whit Monday), one of the thousands of national holidays here.  So stores were closed but sheep roamed the streets.  Let me explain.

Besides being a holiday, it was also the transhumance, the day that marks the traditional beginning of the mountain grazing season.  Sheep and goats that have been kept close to home during the winter and spring make the trek to higher ground to graze during the summer.

This is celebrated with a festival where shepherds bring their flocks and parade them through town.  It’s pretty cool, with thousands of sheep and goats marching around town, tended by shepherds and dogs.

The only problem?  Someone forgot to take those many animals for a potty break before they arrived.  So the festival was rather, shall we say, aromatic?

KVS





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