A public holiday and two celebrations

The 15th August is a public holiday in France, and as it is a predominately Catholic country, it marks the Assumption of Mary into Heaven,  a major Feast Day of the Catholic church.

But in the south of France it also marks another important day, an annual commemoration day for the liberation of the French from Nazi occupation.

Now we have been coming here for fourteen years, and it was only this year that I realised the fireworks in the evening  of the 15th August were to celebrate the liberation of France rather then to celebrate the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.  And the penny dropped, so as to say, when I visited the war museum at the top of Mt Faron.

I went up in the cable car, which I hated, with Aaron and Raphy, in order to see the museum.   It was very interesting, even though the explanations were in French, but we could understand enough to realise that an important event took place during a few weeks starting on the 15th August, 1944.  And that on the 15th August each year there was a large celebration of this event.

Raphy loved all the guns and machines by the way.  Typical boy, even though he comes from a very pacifist family.

Walter, who likes to read the French newspaper when he buys the baguettes, informed me that as this year was the 70th anniversary, there would be even bigger commemorations.  Francois Hollande was to be present at a memorial service on Mt Faron, and there would be a large service in Le Lavandou, with a march through of soldiers, and in the afternoon an international fleet of warships would pass along the coast, destination either Marseille or Toulon.   Great exitement.

We went to watch the warships pass by, but they were so far away, it was not worth waiting around, especially as we were standing precariously on the breakwater rocks.

There were many people on the rocks, more patient than we were.  The sensible ones sat down.

So we spent the rest of the afternoon watching boules.  Those people who play lawn bowls need to note the dress for men, either a singlet or barechested seems to be the norm here.

There were even more people on the beach,

or walking along the street than normal.  All taking advantage of the public holiday, and as it was a Friday, a long weekend.

But back to the topic of the commemoration of the liberation of the south of France.   The combined forces, US, British, Canadian, Free French and Algerian, landed here on the 15th August, 1944.  It was called Operation Dragoon, and the main purpose was the freeing of the ports of Marseille and Toulon, which were crucial for supplying the growing allied forces in France.

The initial forces came in by parachute and by landing craft, along the coast from Toulon to St Raphael, and came into idyllic and lovely beaches and small fishing ports.   Beaches that we know so well, Cavalaire, St Tropez, St Raphael, Ramatuelle, Rayol.    Of course once on the beaches the troops had then to cross very rugged and inhospitable country, no doubt aided by the local Partisans, who were also involved in the liberation of the country.

Operation Dragoon tends to get overlooked by the rest of the world, due to the landings in Normandy on the 6th June, which is seen to be the main campaign.

But on the 15th August, people living in the south of France, the annual commemoration ceromonies take place in the coastal landing sites and also in the towns and villages where fighting took place.  The French military and Municipal officials lay wreaths in memory of the Allied Forces.  And in principal villages events and re-enactments take place to celebrate the day, and to keep memories of the day alive.

And celebrations were still taking place two days later, in Bormes les Mimosa, where the local collectors of old American vehicles, processed up the hill and parked in front of the town hall.  All very exciting.

The drivers and passengers were dressed in uniforms or the clothes of the 1940s.

This was one big brute of a vehicle.

And so at last I inderstand the double meaning of the 15th August here, in that it celebrates the Assumption of Mary into Heaven, but it also commemorates the liberation of the people from Nazi occupation.

I must also must give recognition to my sources of information, the Daily Mail Online (15th August, 2014), The Local (12th August, 2014), Wikipedia and the museum at Mt Faron.