hidden europe 22

Blessed bread

by hidden europe

Summary

The rituals of religion take a strange turn in the Savoie village of Bramans in the French Alps. We report on the significance of the pain bénit (blessed bread) festival that is held in Bramans on 15 August each year.

August is the finest month for crossing the Col du Mont Cenis. Summer sun has melted most of last winter's snow to reveal delicate orchids. Approaching from the south, you crest the top of the pass and there ahead lies La Vanoise, France's first (and many would say finest) national park. The road drops down in a heady series of zig-zags to the Arc Valley and suddenly you are in a perfect Savoie landscape, with little villages clustered around churches on the floor of the valley. Some say that Hannibal came this way with his elephants.

Bramans is one of the larger communities in the upper portion of the Arc valley. It is a village surrounded by mountains.

Related blog post

Rivers of memory: Wrocław

With its complex history, Wrocław can be a difficult place to get one's head around. Paul Scraton approaches the Polish city by following the rivers that lend character to the Wrocław townscape.

Related blog post

Cultural border zones

Laurence Mitchell has been writing for hidden europe for many years and we are proud to present the full text of four of his articles on cultural border zones on our website. Enjoy reports from Georgia, Bulgaria and Tatarstan. All four pieces were originally published in print in hidden europe magazine.

Related blog post

From Paris to the Peloponnese

Today we are releasing another trio of articles in full text format. All three are on Greek themes and all three were written by travel writer and publisher Duncan JD Smith. There is a tight geographical focus here as all three articles are set in the Peloponnese region of southern Greece.