The Festo Vierginenco, a tradition turned art, can be traced back to 1903, when Frédéric Mistral (Provençal poet 1830-1914) created the Festo Vierginenco. All young girls were invited to a ribbon and habit ceremony, symbolizing their passage into adulthood (until the age of 15, they could only wear the costume known as Mireille). Worried about the future of the Arlésienne habit, Mistral wanted to make the wearing of the “dame” costume not only a symbol, but also an honor and an event. It was a stroke of genius! In 1903, 18 girls answered the call. By 1904, the number had risen to 350, and the party had moved to the Théâtre Antique. Since then, several hundred girls have paraded through Arles, gathering for a rare and dazzling finale at the Théâtre Antique. The girls who took the habit and ribbon at the last “Festo Vierginenco” will also be presented at the Théâtre Antique. Every three years, it’s on this day that the new Queen is enthroned before the people of Provence, and delivers a speech in response to that of the Queen who has just completed her term of office.
Along with the Pegoulado, this is one of the most important moments in Provençal sublimation.
// On the program :
– from 3:30pm: gathering/ place de la République
Vierginenco welcome/ Cour de l’Archevêché
– 4:00 pm: parade/ from Place de la République, rue de la République, rue Wilson, bd des Lices, entering the Jardin d’Eté at the bottom of Montée Vauban
– 5:00 pm: groups arrive in the Jardin and enter the Théâtre in the order of the parade
– 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm: speeches by officials and the XXV° Queen, presentation of the Vierginenco and former reigns/ Théâtre Antique
– 8:30 pm to midnight: dinner for registered parade participants (coordinated by Etoile de l’Avenir) / Alyscamps
