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Article abstracts
Translations : Cary Bartsch
Written for people looking for information with meaning,
L'Alpe is the first review devoted to the many cultures and
heritages of Alpine Europe. Its ambition is to provide
information, language barriers not withstanding. As your
guide, L'Alpe looks at the people who, from the meandering
Danube to the Rhône, have adapted to an exceptional
climate. A cross between a book and a magazine, it draws on
the first to provide background documents on a main theme,
supported by rigorous analysis, an insistence on quality and
the notoriety of renown authors. From the second, it adopts
a quarterly rhythm for regular contributions to current
debates, rich illustrations, the insatiable curiosity of its
journalists and a necessarily didactic approach. Though
rigorous in its approach to knowledge, L'Alpe is not a
scientific journal. It calls on the contributions of
history, geography, archaeology, ethnology, etc. to shed
light on the meaning of the traces left by man on the
mountain environment. And it is also open to current debates
on the future of the Alps and other mountains in the world.
A faint prehistoric glimmer
Winter is a difficult time. A time when light and shadow
do battle, and a time for silence and patience. A few faint
signs of prehistoric man's obscure fascination with the
season echo even today. Handed down over the ages, the myths
and ceremonies at the heart of winter festivities reflect
the mysterious and intense relation between man and winter.
Alpine festivities hither and yon
The great cycle starts in November with masks popping up
in the valleys, drawing the spirits of the dead and as yet
unmarried young people into a joyous medley of ancient rites
and religious beliefs intended to ensure fertility and
prosperity. From the Mediterranean Alps to Slovenia,
uncountable masquerades and fêtes mimic the old
rituals whose profound meaning has often been forgotten.
The secret behind the masks
Devilish harlequins and ephebic figures lead the
procession of masks in the Ladin valleys. These festivities,
eliciting wide participation in South Tyrol and the
Dolomites, have roots going back to a vaguely perceived mix
of myths and rites, beliefs and traditions. The
participants, however, could not care less. These carnivals
are above all the best available means to assert their
cultural identity.
Le marié mis en bière par ses
célibataires même*
A bizarre ceremony marks the end of the carnival
festivities in the Southern Alps. The enacted burial of the
carnival king also symbolises the traditional end to life as
a bachelor. This burlesque ritual highlights the roles of
young people in village communities.
* Kober-dada adaptation of the Marcel Duchamp painting,
La mariée mise à nue par ses
célibataires même, in english: The bride
stripe bare by her bachelors, even.
Rissoles and other dishes
Between Noel and Epiphany, the "cycle of the Twelve
Days" marks the beginning of winter. A time of intense
religious celebrations, this festive period is also rich in
regional customs, among which the preparation and sharing of
traditional dishes are an important part. A look at the
Savoyard regions.
The new festivities
Are renewed traditions but a new manifestation of our
modern times? In many Alpine villages, the old festivities
have been dusted off and put back into active service
(though some would say simply enacted) by small groups of
dynamic inhabitants. Adapted to our times, they have
(re)established certain bonds within communities. Though
they sometimes stray excessively close to dubious folklore
or simple media events, these carnivals and other
festivities paradoxically constitute a refuge from
modernity.
The bigot and the bull
Both men and the living creatures of nature feel the sap
rise as spring approaches. The result is bellowing and
bawling, bonfires and fun. In the Trentino, the young people
indulge in an original and impertinent hullabaloo called the
tratomarzo, an old pagan (and wanton) tradition of which
bits and pieces still remain, though sometimes simply as a
tourist attraction.
The night of the Tschäggätä
The emblematic masks of the Lötschental, in the
Valais, have now been promoted to the dubious status of
souvenirs and the carnival would seem to have lost its heart
and soul. But the terrible Tschäggätä refuse
to become a simple tourist attraction and the young folk
have breathed new life back into the wild festivities. Just
to make sure the fun and the craziness continue.
A son
Beheld from high atop the Mantelinha, the world is
anything but a valley of tears. And in January, when from up
on the summit the entire world is nothing but immaculate
snow, anyone whose soul is not irrevocably barred to beauty,
even a shepherd whose sheep far below in the stable cry out
in hunger, might have to admit that the world was perhaps
created just to make possible such blinding whiteness. A
short story.
Snow globes
Among the many stereotypes in Alpine tourism, snow
globes are in a class all by themselves. From the cute
chamois to the brightly clothed skier, cable cars, wooden
chalets and Santa Klaus, every cliché pertaining to
mountains has, at one time or another, been bottled up in
the small globes made of transparent plastic. The ultimate
in kitsch, snow globes have also occasionally been used by
major artists as a back-handed form of tribute to the
original creators of souvenirs. A trip down souvenir lane.
Voyages to the Celestial mountains
A tremendous chain of mountains, inhabited by Kirghiz
nomads and far from any beaten path, constitutes a part of
the far-flung boundary between Kyrgyzstan and China. At the
beginning of the century, a few rare Westerners travelled
there, equipped with imprecise maps and looking for new
summits to climb. Among them, an Italian group, made up of a
prince with his guide, accompanied by an ethnologist from
the Aosta Valley. A century later, two of their compatriots
went the same route in the mysterious Tien-Shan.
Art, art, wherefore art thou?
The "Traversées" exhibition was set up in the
Ecrins national park, for the short summer season. Five
contemporary artists (a photographer and four writers)
temporarily installed their works along the trail from La
Bérarde to the Châtelleret refuge, in the heart
of the highly protected central zone of the park. That was
deemed sacrilegious by many and the result was a passionate
debate and an impressive number of contradictions. An
inquiry.
Le numéro 10 de L'Alpe,
daté hiver 2001, est en vente en kiosque du mardi 5
décembre 2000 au lundi 19 mars 2001. Au-delà
de cette période, il reste en vente dans les bonnes
librairies et peut également être commandé
à notre service "abonnements et ventes par
correspondance".
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