After “Allouette”, the second most famous French-language nursery rhyme song would be “Sur le Pont d’Avignon” (On the Bridge of Avignon).
Like most nursery rhymes of olden days, this one was political commentary. Back then (14th century), the only way a person could voice their protest was in some innocent-sounding fashion, without risking to be thrown into the dungeon.
(firmenpresse) - After “Allouette”, the second most famous French-language nursery rhyme song would be “Sur le Pont d’Avignon” (On the Bridge of Avignon).
Like most nursery rhymes of olden days, this one was political commentary. Back then (14th century), the only way a person could voice their protest was in some innocent-sounding fashion, without risking to be thrown into the dungeon.
Sur le Pont d’Avignon
On y danse, On y danse
Sur le Pont d’Avignon
On y danse, Tous en rond
On the bridge of Avignon
There we dance, there we dance
On the bridge of Avignon
There we dance all in a circle.
The dancing the song referred to was hardly as innocent as the nursery rhyme song might sound to us. You see, Avignon was the seat of the Papacy, the ruling elite of the Catholic Church for 73 years, harbouring the ambitions and political games of seven different posts and who knows how many pretenders and backroom strategists.
The Church might have been holy, but some pretty unholy things were being done in Avignon, some pretty unholy dancing during those disfunctional years.
But how did Avignon get to be in the spotlight? When the Frenchman Clement V became Pope, he simply decided not to leave France. Instead of moving his esteemed and holy self to Rome and he moved the papacy to Avignon.
Today, the papacy is in Rome and Avignon is still in France. But such rich history has been left behind from those days of glory and intrigue. It is now not only a popular vacation destination, but also a UNESCO-certified World Heritage site. That include the famous Saint-Benezet bridge. Yes, that’s the bridge the children love so much to sing about. They also come to see the “Palais des papes”, which is “Palace of the Popes” in English and is part of the UNESCO site. Here they can learn about the middle ages and the days when there was no fine line between saintliness and politics.
Once you’ve had your fill of history, you can fill up on the local “provençal” cuisine. Or drop in on the seashore and the nearby French Riviera. Or fill up on culture at the museums and festivals – Avignon was named European Capital of Culture in 2000 for good reason.
Oh, and take a few moments to dance on the bridge. If you are travelling alone, this is the perfect excuse to approach someone you see and start dancing with them “tous en rond”.
About the Author
David Leonhardt runs the World Vacations Travel Directory, a place where you can find travel websites in every category.Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
David Leonhardt runs the World Vacations Travel Directory, a place where you can find travel websites in every category.
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