The Erasure and Recreation of Tradition

In the mid-1970's while living in France I learned the words and music to a traditional song, "Les Filles des Forges" (which had been covered by the band Tri Yann). The lyrics were a mild joke at the expense of the priest in the song, but with no obvious connection to any deeper tradition.

However, it turns out that the lyrics had been heavily reworked. A footnote in Eugen Weber's Peasants into Frenchmen led me to the original version, collected by Adolphe Orain in the late 19th Century:

Ce sont les filles des forges (bis)
Des forges de Paimpont,
Falaridon, falaridaine,
Des forges de Paimpont,
Falaridain', falaridon.

Qui furent à confesse (bis)
Au curé de Beignon.
Falaridon, falaridaine,
Au curé de Beignon,
Falaridain', falaridon.

En entrant dans l'église (bis)
Ont demandé pardon,
Falaridon, falaridaine,
Ont demandé pardon,
Falaridain', falaridon.

Qu'avez-vous fait, les filles (bis)
Pour demander pardon ?
Falaridon, falaridaine,
Pour demander pardon,
Falaridain', falaridon.

J'avons couru les danses (bis)
En habit de garçons,
Falaridon, falaridaine,
En habit de garçons,
Falaridain, falaridon.

Vous aviez des culottes (bis)
Dessous vos blancs jupons,
Falaridon, falaridaine,
Dessous vos blancs jupons,
Falaridain, falaridon.

J'avions ben des culottes (bis)
Mais point de cotillons,
Falaridon, falaridaine,
Mais point de cotillons,
Falaridain' falaridon.

Allez-vous-en, les filles (bis)
Pour vous point de pardon,
Falaridon, falaridaine,
Pour vous point de pardon,
Falaridain', falaridon.

Il faut aller à Rome (bis)
Chercher l'absolution,
Falaridon. falaridaine.
Chercher l'absolution,
Falaridain', falaridon.

Si je l'avons à Rome
Je l'aurons ben à Beignon,
Falaridon, Falaridaine,
J' l'aurons ben à Beignon,
Falaridain', falaridon.



There are two things to note about this completely different story: first, the lyrics distinguish between the correct French of the curé and the patois of the girls (which has been lost in the recent version); secondly, the topic is the festal custom (highly disapproved of by the church, though not to the point of requiring a papal indulgence for absolution) of dancing in the clothes of the opposite sex; in this specific case, according to Orain, on the Feast of St-Eloi, the first of December.

This and other similar feasts were in decline in rural France throughout the latter part of the 19th Century, and were largely extinct by the beginning of the 20th.