The plots | Destination Granville Land and Sea

Plots in Granville

A carnival tradition

For those taking part in their first carnival, the concept ofintrigue may seem hard to grasp. Yet this carnival tradition is almost as old as the event itself, and remains one of the festive activities that Granvillais are most keen to preserve.

As long ago as 1897, the local newspaper Le Granvillais expressed concern about the poor health of the carnival and its intrigues, hoping that they would have ” several more years to live “.

And in 1906, just as the carnival was getting back on its feet, it was noted that at this year’s event, ” the disguises were numerous, and it was with great difficulty that the people of Granvillais were able to take part”. Needless to say, during the evening, the intrigue had a field day “.

Intriguing

and intrigued

So, what is an intrigue? The principle is simple: every Tuesday night at Carnival, to round off the festivities, the participants (also known as ” intriguers “) dress up from head to toe and set off to meet their ” intrigued “. The latter are often friends, colleagues or even family members of the intriguer, so it’s up to the latter to be sufficiently disguised not to be recognized by the intrigued. Of course, this also requires a change of voice! In fact, the plotter will follow his “victim” around all evening, chatting with him, questioning him about things and implying that he knows the plotter, but without revealing his true identity. So it’s up to the intrigued party to try and identify their companion for the evening, which is not always an easy task: the better the disguise, the greater the difficulty in recognizing the intriguer! Some even go so far as to change their costume twice, or even three times, to further confuse their intriguer.

A tradition of

disguise

This tradition of disguising oneself is also deeply rooted in the Granville carnival. Carnival-goers have become experts in the art: the phrase ” ça peut toujours servir ” (” it can always come in handy “) is frequently uttered by Granvillais when moving or tidying up. And the presence of several regiments of Royal Navy artillerymen in the Haute Ville until 1984 has led to the development of a costume exchange specializing in military accessories.

Spirit of openness

and welcoming Granvillais

The tradition of intrigue also exists thanks to theopen and welcoming spirit of the people of Granville. Carnival is often referred to as the ” world ups ide down”: the town closes in on itself, cut off from the world, in its own bubble. On the other hand, people’s properties, which until now have been private homes, open up to the unknown. It’s not uncommon for the homes of carnival-goers to become retreat bases, even if they don’t know each other at first sight. Over the course of five days, bonds are forged, drinks are offered to strangers, they are welcomed into our homes, we laugh and dance together in a carefree spirit. It’s this state of mind that makes intrigues possible: a spirit of trust and friendship, with the intrigued accompanied by an intriguer he or she knows nothing about, but who is not distrusted. It’s a Granville carnivalstaple, and it’s safe to say they’ll have ” many more years to live “.

Find out more about