Rose Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Can anyone help me... many of our neighbours along our valley have got poles outside their gates decorated with ribbons and paper flowers and with a baguette tied on in the middle? Can anyone tell me why? And should I being doing something similiar? [8-)] [:)]Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clair Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 I have no idea!Did this happen overnight?Has there been a wedding you haven't been invited to?Is it the bakers' Tour du Village?When you find out, do let us know!!!!!![:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Redman Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Possibly results of local elections. Succesful candidates errect a deliberately rough pole which whould just about last their tenure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 We were once given a gift of crossed baguettes to hang in the Kitchen - they were supposed to bring good luck. The story went that the village where they were purchased had been decimated by fire in the past, in the only surviving house they found two baguettes had fallen on the floor and formed a cross - this was said to be a sign.Hope I have remembered it OK - it was years ago....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomoss Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 [quote user="Rose"]Can anyone help me... many of our neighbours along our valley have got poles outside their gates decorated with ribbons and paper flowers and with a baguette tied on in the middle? Can anyone tell me why? And should I being doing something similiar? [8-)] [:)]Thanks[/quote]Why don't you ask one of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 [quote user="nomoss"][quote user="Rose"]Can anyone help me... many of our neighbours along our valley have got poles outside their gates decorated with ribbons and paper flowers and with a baguette tied on in the middle? Can anyone tell me why? And should I being doing something similiar? [8-)] [:)]Thanks[/quote]Why don't you ask one of them?[/quote]I do that just that......je suis anglais.......and then proceed to ask any stupid question and it always fully explained....because I'm English. [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 Rose, I'm not too far away from you and around here there is a tradition called 'planter le mai' in which a newly cut pine decorated with red, white and blue tissue paper and ribbons is erected outside the homes of those elected to the local council. It's an honour bestowed not something you can choose to do for yourself. I've not seen any around these parts with baguettes tied to them though. Perhaps it's a variation on the same tradition. Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose Posted August 3, 2008 Author Share Posted August 3, 2008 Thanks for the comments so far... I can say it's not an election pole thingy... we've got lots of them but they're much bigger than these. They did appear sort of over-night... certainly I only spotted them yesterday for the first time.We do have a few fetes at the moment and our village had a night market last night and a disco and fireworks tonight... but these houses are in the next (neighbouring) commune and none of the loaves appear in our commune. Could be a wedding... it was my first thought (and the second was Oh... we're not invited then! [Www] [:)]) but there are a few houses doing it... the flowers look the same as the wedding flowers it's just the loaf of bread that is different... and it is a real loaf too... I'll get a photo and post it later... just charging the camera battery!I guess I could just ask... it would be easiest! I'll see if anyone can enlighten me tonight at the disco!!! [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 It's a big mystery for me too, never seen that ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 But I can tell you a story about the importance of bread in French culture. In my grand parents' house, in Britanny, bread was always left on the table, wrapped in a white towel. if a guest came to the house, the towel was unwrapped , so as to show the bread, which meant the person was welcome and considered as a " compagnon".. Literally, it means " the one who shares the bread".[IMG]http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r20/regine79/Pain2.jpg[/IMG] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Katie Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Go on then Rose, go and ask them for a bit and whilst munching say,"Je suis anglais et .............."Hurry up, we are waiting [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Thanks for the replies chaps! I never knew that Frenchie!!! [:D] JK Tomorrow I will wander over and ask... and take the photo too. I took one the other day at dusk from the car as we drove out of our lane but it wasn't a great success... so I'll go and ask and get another photo later... maybe tomorrow evening or Friday... mmm Little Ones birthday on Friday so maybe Saturday... sorry! just soooo busy with all these guests at the moment (but that is another story!!!! [:-))] [blink] [8-)])... Hold on JK... I'm on the case! [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 [quote user="Frenchie"]But I can tell you a story about the importance of bread in French culture. In my grand parents' house, in Britanny, bread was always left on the table, wrapped in a white towel. if a guest came to the house, the towel was unwrapped , so as to show the bread, which meant the person was welcome and considered as a " compagnon".. Literally, it means " the one who shares the bread".[IMG]http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r20/regine79/Pain2.jpg[/IMG][/quote]Frenchie, what you have said has reminded me of a French saying but being an etrangere, I'm not sure if it is a common saying.If something is not serious or important, you say, "Ce n'est pas manger le pain". But I think that the "pain" in the saying is not any ordinary old bread, I think the bread is the bread of communion. Therefore if you say that this is not eating bread, it means it's of no importance.Perhaps you'll tell me this is rubbish and I may have got hold of the wrong end of the baguette. In that case, I am willing to be told the right version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anton Redman Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Link to photographs in another placehttp://www.totalfrance.com/france/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48116&highlight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 [quote user="sweet 17"]Frenchie, what you have said has reminded me of a French saying but being an etrangere, I'm not sure if it is a common saying.If something is not serious or important, you say, "Ce n'est pas manger le pain". But I think that the "pain" in the saying is not any ordinary old bread, I think the bread is the bread of communion. Therefore if you say that this is not eating bread, it means it's of no importance.Perhaps you'll tell me this is rubbish and I may have got hold of the wrong end of the baguette. In that case, I am willing to be told the right version.[/quote]No, you are right, the exact phrase is " Ca mange pas de pain " , which means it is not important , indeed.In Britanny, my gran used to have only bread like the one in the pic.. My grand parents were very religious ( catholics), they had 10 children !! [blink] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odile Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 counting the days to find out the anser to this puzzle. bon courage Rose Amities Odile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polremy Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 Wow! I never knew that!compagnon = with bread (cum is Latin for "with")Isn't it good to learn something new every day. merci bien.Pity bread doesn't seem to agree with me.but that's une autre histoire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polremy Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 I see my Latin has been beeped out!!the word is c u m and it takes the ablative case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 [quote user="Polremy"]Wow! I never knew that! compagnon = with bread (cum is Latin for "with") Isn't it good to learn something new every day. merci bien. Pity bread doesn't seem to agree with me. but that's une autre histoire.[/quote]You 're welcome!It's amazing to think of the number of French phrases linked to " pain" ..For instance " Manger son pain blanc " " faire une tête de trois pains de long" etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 "Avoir du pain sur la planche" (have a lot to do). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5-element Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 "Long comme un jour sans pain"... (is said of someone who is interminably tall) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre ZFP Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 I admit I had to look up what 'ablative case' meant [:$]but there again, almost all the Latin I know comes from the 'Romans go Home' scene in The Life of Brianand I thought 'Sic Gloria transit' was a woman throwing up in a Ford van [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 [:D][:D] Excellent you made me laugh so much !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Animal Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Something like Frigide Barjot. [:D]http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frigide_Barjot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 Or Brute Syphillis?? [:D] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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