The Spring Festival or Transhumance Festival is a festivity that has taken place in Saint-Martin de Crau since 1986!
It is THE annual EVENT not to be missed. Rich in entertainment, emotions and conviviality, it is an integral part of the traditional heritage of the town. I invite you, throughout a weekend, to a colorful party!
Much more than just a celebration, a tradition
The Spring Festival highlights pastoralism. It symbolizes the departure of shepherds and their sheep to the mountain pastures and takes place every year in mid-May.
This emblematic celebration highlights the cultural and historical importance of this ancestral practice of the territory.
The start of the Festival is launched on Saturday, at the end of the morning I attend its inauguration punctuated by the sounds of the folk groups who parade and enliven the two parades of the weekend.
One of the key moments that I advise you to attend is the demonstration of an old press, the hay bale press which always ends with the weighing, as in the past, of the bale produced. The goal is to beat the previous year's record. Your encouragement will be appreciated by the men who work to make it!
Another highlight of Saturday is the Shepherds' Vigil. An unmissable event, this evening results in large tables of hundreds of people coming to share a lively, warm and friendly evening around a good grilled lamb chops. This meal is a nod to the shepherds who, in the past, prepared to set out on transhumance on foot with their animals and cover hundreds of kilometers. They all shared a good meal together the day before their departure.
City of St Martin de Crau
City of St Martin de Crau
City of St Martin de Crau
P.Galvand
Crau Hay
The Crau alluvial plain, formed by the Durance over the millennia, represents 52 hectares and includes 000 hectares of irrigated meadows, including 13 hectares classified as AOP and shared between nearly 500 Crau hay producers. Crau Hay is a food from natural meadows.
Three cuts of hay are made each year and each has a floristic balance characteristic of the specific needs of each animal. A fourth is grazed from October to the end of February by sheep returning from transhumance.
The 1st cutting takes place in May, rich in grasses, it is particularly suitable for feeding horses and fattening cattle.
The 2nd in June-July: Balanced, it is mainly intended for breeding horses, cows and sheep because it increases their milk production.
The 3rd in August-September: This is the richest in legumes, it is used for dairy sheep and goats raised for AOP quality cheese production.
Foin de Crau AOP is recognizable by its mark of excellence: a red and white string.
A concentrate of history and folklore
In the streets of Saint-Martin de Crau the past mixes with the present. On the Sunday of the festival, several people dressed in period clothing take over the town hall square. We find a schoolmaster who invites you to take a dictation, a carder who works with wool, a jam maker who simmers strawberries in a cauldron, the scent of which brings back good childhood memories... Very close by, I hear a metallic noise and see a farrier shoeing a horse and arousing the curiosity of passers-by amazed by the scene. I continue my walk and take advantage of the pretty Provençal market set up on the main avenue to buy good local products and the shade of a parasol from the terrace of a bar, to have a coffee while waiting for the big parade, other highlight of this celebration.
I see the crowd starting to take their places all along the avenue and decide not to waste too much time to position myself in order to enjoy the show.
It's 11 o'clock, it shouldn't take long to start... The music sounds in the distance, I can hear it getting closer little by little. I'm not going to reveal everything to you but you won't be disappointed by this parade rich in traditions, folklore and costumes. You are probably wondering if you will see sheep during the parade, the answer is yes and not just a little! You will see a wave of thousands of sheep pass by, whose bells ring and the sound of their hooves resonate.
City of St Martin de Crau- City of St Martin de Crau
P.GalvandTranshumance
In 2023 transhumance will be listed as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“Transhumance is a seasonal movement of people and their livestock between several geographic or climatic regions […]. An entire socio-economic system has developed around this practice, from gastronomy to local crafts including the festivities marking the beginning and end of a season. Families have practiced and transmitted transhumance for generations by observing and participating in it […]. Transhumance thus contributes to social inclusion, the strengthening of cultural identity and links between families, communities and territories, while countering the effects of rural exodus. »
Source: https://unesco.delegfrance.org
Expertise put in the spotlight
The Sunday of this festival also highlights the know-how of different producers and artisans who animate the craft market on the main avenue. So I took the opportunity to buy a few gifts for my loved ones: Marseille soap, Provence honey, handmade jewelry. Around sixty exhibitors offer a variety of objects and products of all kinds and some present their know-how like a glass blower during the day.
City of St Martin de CrauYou will have understood, the Spring Festival of Saint-Martin de Crau is much more than a simple folkloric event. It is intimately linked to the culture and traditions of this territory; it pays tribute to passionate men and women who perpetuate an ancestral way of life that is still very much alive today.
Don't forget to book your special Spring Festival weekend!
Practical Info
Free access to the party
Free parking
There is a charge for the shepherds' vigil on Saturday evening; reservations begin a fortnight before the celebration.
Collect the plan and program of the party at the Tourist Information Office.
Different competitions are organized throughout the weekend, find out more.
Small funfair set up on Avenue des Alpilles.
Program and information:
Tourist Information Office
Avenue de la République, 13310 Saint-Martin de Crau
+04 90 47 98 40
stmartindecrautourisme@agglo-accm.fr