The fêtes de Bayonne is a
feria
In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday.
In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''.
If the feast day of a saint falls on such a day, the ...
consisting in a series of
festivals
A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
in the
Northern Basque Country
The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided o ...
in the
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
of
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
. The festival lasts 5 days and always held during the summer months of July and/or August. It is the largest festival in France. In the eighties, participants started to dress in
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
with a
red scarf
A scarf (: scarves or scarfs) is a long piece of fabric that is worn on or around the neck, shoulders, or head. A scarf is used for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, religious reasons, or to show support for a sports club or team. ...
and a red
belt after the colours of the city of
Pamplona
Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain.
Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
. Some rare purists prefer to wear blue and white, the colours of the city of
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
.
The festivals include
music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
al and street performances, traditional dances, parades, and fireworks.
The first "Fêtes de Bayonne," called "The Big Summer Festival," took place on July 13, 1932. It was instigated by a group of friends belonging to the
Aviron Bayonnais
Aviron Bayonnais (AB, ), commonly called Bayonne, is a French rugby union club from Bayonne (''Baiona'' in Basque) in Pyrénées-Atlantiques which competes in the Top 14, the top tier of the National Rugby League (France), French league system.
...
rugby team.
They wanted to create celebrations similar to those of
San Fermin in
Pamplona
Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain.
Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
,
Southern Basque Country
The Southern Basque Country (; ) refers to the Basque territories southside of the Pyrenees, within the Iberian Peninsula.
Name
In Basque language, known as '' Euskera'', natives have referred to the Basque districts as ''Euskal Herria(k)''.
...
(famous for their
Running of the Bulls) in Bayonne.
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
&
Covid-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
forced the Fêtes de Bayonne to go on hiatus from 1940 to 1945, besides 2020.
Gallery
Image:Bayonne_Festayres_(1).jpg, Fêtes 2006
Image:Bayonne_Festayres_(2).jpg, Fêtes 2006
Image:Bayonne_Festayres.jpg, Fêtes 2006
Image:Bayonne_Corso_lumineux_2004_(1).jpg, Corso lumineux 2004
Image:Bayonne_Corso_lumineux_2004_(2).jpg, Corso lumineux 2004
Image:Bayonne_Corso_lumineux_2004_(3).jpg, Corso lumineux 2004
Image:Bayonne_Corso_lumineux_(1).jpg, Corso lumineux 2006
Image:Bayonne_Corso_lumineux_(2).jpg, Corso lumineux 2006
Image:Bayonne_Artifice.jpg, Fêtes 2006, fireworks
External links
www.fetes-de-bayonne.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fetes de Bayonne
Festivals in France
Labourd
Tourist attractions in Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Bayonne