Let's just say Easter (Paques) is different here. Or maybe I should say that it is very different for us to be here at Easter. We've seen many things that seem to be universal--Easter bunnies (lapins de Paques), Easter eggs (oeufs de Paques), and Easter egg hunts (chasse des oeufs). Our hotel had large chocolate bunnies displayed in the lobby Easter morning and small rabbit-shaped chocolate candies available on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (a big deal holiday in France and Spain). But we've also seen a number of things completely outside our Easter experience.
While we had been concerned that the whole of France might be shut down on Easter Sunday and Monday, we need not have worried. Collioure, where we have spent the holiday weekend, held its regular Sunday morning market. That was our first sign. Life was moving ahead in full gear everywhere we went.
As opposed to what we would have done if in our own home territory--church and a family dinner--we headed about 25km west to the little town of Ceret. We knew we wanted to visit their Musee de l'Art Modern while in the area and had checked to see that it would be open on Easter Sunday. Some of the big name artists, like Picasso, Matisse, and Chagall, spent time in and painted both Collioure and Ceret, and the museum is mentioned positively in various guidebooks for the area.
We found a large public parking area just outside Ceret's "centre ville." As we headed toward the museum, we heard some music playing. We increased our pace and walked into the main square to find a band playing and several groups dancing the sardana. I had read that this was an area in which one might see the sardana, and Ceret has an annual sardana festival in July. Still, I wasn't expecting to bump into it. This was just one of those serendipitous moments one hopes for when traveling. These were "regular" people dancing. No one in costumes, just whoever wanted to join in. With each song, groups spontaneously formed and grew. The dancers hold hands and form a circle. They don't move in a circular fashion, but mostly perform the steps in place. At certain points in the music, the dancing becomes more vigorous, the steps are much higher, and the group raises its joined hands.
The band had 11 musicians, playing 10 wind instruments plus a double bass and a tambori (a very small drum worn on the wrist of the piccolo player). We did a little research and learned that the band we were hearing (Les Casanoves) was a cobla, which is a band specifically for sardanes. They are one of only 130 such groups that exist in France and Spain. While we recognized some of the instruments (the bass, 2 trumpets, 2 French horns, the piccolo, and a trombone), we had never seen the tambori or the 4 oboe-like instruments they played. They have an unusual shape and very different sound. It was so fun to see and hear something unique to this area.
We watched the dancers until the band stopped, and then walked to the museum. It is a small museum, but with a very nice collection that includes a handful of Picasso paintings and a very large assembly of his ceramics. There is a large group of Matisse pen and ink drawings, a number of which had been created for the museum specifically. And there is one very large Chagall that is rather stunning.
After soaking up the artwork, we had a salad at one of the cafés on the square and then walked around Ceret. It is an attractive town and a nice size (i.e., small) for exploring.
We headed back to Collioure, which we wanted to sample a bit more, hopefully a little less peopled than it had been on Friday evening. There were still lots of folks in town, but it felt less frenetic. It's a hilly village with lots of steep streets and stairways. The houses and shops are painted many colors, making it quite picturesque.
We had an aperitif at a cafe on the quay and then made our way back to our hotel. Just as we got to the entrance to the little alley that takes us to our hotel, we found the way blocked by a group of people in traditional costume who were singing. They sang a couple songs, shaking small cloth squares of red and yellow stripes which represent the Catalan flag. They then trooped into a little cafe. Bet it was lively in there!
We felt so fortunate to have happened onto these two spontaneous outbursts of song and dance. Though not in our usual Easter repertoire, singing and dancing in the streets seems to be very much in the spirit of the day.
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