Nadaillac-de-Rouge. Traditions preserved

In Nadaillac-de-Rouge, the villagers erected a may on Saturday June 6 to honor their elected officials.

The maïade is listed in the Inventory of French Intangible Cultural Heritage and is part of Occitan habits and customs. The Covid crisis had interrupted this vibrant tradition in the village of Nadaillac-de-Rouge. Stéphane Prunière, the mayor who succeeded Francis Chastrusse on March 15, wanted to reconnect with her.

Saturday at 9 a.m., around ten men of all ages met at the town hall, drank a little coffee and ate some sweets to give themselves strength. Then they went into the woods to choose, fell, limb and debark a young pine about twenty centimeters in diameter. The team spent the morning there because it is delicate work which requires dexterity, even if only to transport the tree, around fifteen meters high, to the center of the village. Fortunately, the know-how necessary for the operation had not been lost.

It was at 4 p.m. that the entire village gathered to witness the raising and installation of the May tree, previously decorated with ivy wreaths, ribbons and other cockades in the colors of the French Republic. It took three teams of men to put the mast in place, the mayor himself directing the operations and working like hell… it was not an easy task.

Set tables then awaited the villagers, who came in large numbers to share a dinner aperitif. The weather was magnificent and the evening was mild and friendly.

The erection of May was the fruit of teamwork characteristic of the spirit of understanding and solidarity of the inhabitants of this pretty commune in the Lot.