H.S.M. International

BREIZH - OUR REGION OF FRANCE

Breizh, (French: Bretagne, Gallo: Bertaèyn, English: Brittany), is a former independent kingdom and duchy, later becoming a province of France. It is also regarded as the name of a cultural area whose limits correspond with the independent duchy.

This historical province was split between two modern-day regions of France by Marshal Pétain in 1941. 80% of Breizh became the région of Bretagne, while the remaining 20% of Breizh (Loire-Atlantique with its préfecture Nantes, one of the former capitals of the Duchy of Brittany) was grouped with other historical provinces (Anjou, Maine, and so on) to create the région of Pays-de-la-Loire. Ever since, no government has called the decision of Vichy into question and the departement of Loire-Atlantique is still administratively attached to the region of the Pays-de-Loire.

The History

Habitation of this area dates back to the late Paleolithic, or Epi-Palaeolithic period. Megaliths erected in the 5th century BC are the best known Neolithic remains. It is thought that the Armoricani tribes of the Veneti, Osismii, Namneti, Coriosoliti and Riedoni inhabited this area in the Iron Age.

The Romans, during the time of Julius Caesar, conquered the area in 56 BC and called it Armorica (a Latinisation of a Celtic word meaning "coastal region"), within the larger province of Gallia Lugdunensis. The modern département of Côtes-d'Armor has taken up the ancient name. An uprising by the Bagaudae (distant cousins of the Basques) in the 3rd century led to the destruction of many towns and villages and to depopulation of the area.

By the 4th century tribes from across the English Channel started to settle in the area. This flow of Britons increased when Roman troops and authority were withdrawn from Britain, and raiding and settling by Anglo-Saxons and Scotti into Britain increased. The immigrant Britons gave the region its current name and contributed to the Breton language, Brezhoneg, a sister language to Welsh and Cornish. The French speaking peoples surrounding the region gave the name "Bretagne" (Brittany in English) to the area where Britons fleeing the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britannia settled, hence they gave the name "Grande Bretagne" (Great Britain) to the island from whence these people came.

In the early Middle Ages, Breizh was divided into three kingdoms - Domnonée/Dumnonea, Cornouaille/Kernev, and Broërec/Broereg (also called Bro Waroch) - that were eventually incorporated into the Kingdom of Breizh.

The first unified Kingdom of Breizh was founded by Nominoë in 845 AD when the Breton army defeated Charles the Bald, King of France, at the Battle of Ballon, near Redon in the east of Breizh near the French border.

The French army was defeated for a second time in 851 AD at the Battle of Jengland by the army of King Erispoë, It was after this second defeat that Charles the Bald recognised the independence of Breizh and the title of king for its leader, with the possession of the counties of Rennes/Roazhon and Nantes/Naoned. King Salomon later conquered the counties of Coutances and Avranches, expanding his kingdom to the maximum. The Norman invaders crushed this first unified state of Breizh in 913 AD. But, in 937 AD Alan II of Breizh, the grandson of the last king of the Bretons, returned from exile and with the help of King Athelstan of Wessex defeated the Norman invaders. Too weak nevertheless to be recognized by the title of king, he ruled Brittany as a "Duke", the title that would be held by his successors.

The Kingdom of France defeated the Breton army in 1488 and the last Duke of Breizh, Francis II, was forced to submit to a treaty giving the King of France the right to determine the marriage of the Duke's daughter, the heir to the Duchy. Duchess Anne was the last independent ruler of the duchy and tried to resist to the French threat marrying the archiduke Maximilian (King of the Romans and future emperor) in 1490. Charles VIII of France immediately invaded Breizh and besieged the duchess-queen (of the Romans) and forced her to marry him, despite the fact that she was his mother in law. After his death, Anne married the former minister and ally of her father, the Duke of Orléans, who by that time had been crowned King of France Louis XII. The duchy passed on her death to her daughter Claude, but Claude's widower, King François I incorporated the duchy into the Kingdom of France in 1532. The duchy kept specific laws and taxes until 1790, when the French revolutionaries withdrew all the "privilèges" (specific rules for certain communities or regions). However one privilège remains to this day. When the Duchy passed into French hands one condition was that "no toll shall ever be levied on either road or bridge." The E50 autoroute from Paris to Brest is comprised in part of the expensive A11 and A81 autoroutes as far as the Breton frontier, which is the last toll booth before the road continues on to Rennes as the Route Nationale 157. The A84 autoroute from Caen in Normandie to Rennes is likewise a toll free road.

The Départments

Côtes-d'Armor (22) - [Armor - "Country near the Sea"] - Aodoù an Arvor [Breton]

Formerly known as Cotes-du-Nord, the Département of Cotes-d’Armor was created in 1790. This is the northern most département of the Region. It is bounded by the English Channel to its north, and the dépeartments of Îlle -et-Villane to the east , Morbhan to the south and Finistére to the west. The départment has four arrondissements: Dinan, Guingamp, Lannion and Saint-Brieuc. Saint-Brieuc is the département’s prefecture.

The picturesque Émeraude Coast, that looks north to the Channel, is a heavily indented barrier against the sea that is dotted by charming seaside resorts and old fishing villages. Most of the towns of the interior were founded in the Middle Ages. The département’s southern half is crossed by the Black Mountains that run west to east and constitute the watershed divide between northward flowing rivers, that empty into the Channel, and the rivers emptying to the south into the Bay of Biscay.

On the high interior plateaux that is swept by the strong west to east winds that drive the heavy Atlantic rain bearing winds you will find large pastures for horses and cattle. Along the coast, where fishing was once the main industry you will now find that the cultivation of fruit, oats, potatoes and wheat are more important, as well as the production of beef and pork. Quarrying is still quite a considerable industry (slate & stone), and there is some boating building and tanning.

Finistére (29) - Penn-ar-Bed [Breton]

This is our home, where you will find true Bretons for this is Lower Brittany, carved out of the far western part of the historical province of Bretagne, and as such is the most westerly of all French départements. The name Finistére comes from the Latin phrase ‘finis terrae’, meaning ‘land’s end’. It is bounded by the English Channel to the north, by the Départements of Côtes-d’Armor and Morbihan to the east, by the Bay of Biscay to the south and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

The east west oriented Black Mountains,that continue into the départment of Côtes-d'Armor, rise to the height of 1001 feet in the region’s north, and are separated from the parallel oriented, 1260-foot high Montagnes d’Arrée, in the south, by the Aulne Basin. Both ranges are composed principally of granite.

Some breathtaking seascapes are to be found at the western tip of this departément. Sombre cliffs, rugged capes 50-70 metres high, rocks and reefs give the coastline a grimness that is reflected in sinister local names: Fromveur (Channel of Fear), Baie De Tréspassés (Bay of the Dead), Enfer de Plogoff (Hell of Plogoff).

Quimper (pronounced Kemper) is the départemental prefecture and is located to the south. It has a distinctive Breton character and is a tourism centre. Again there are four arrondissements: Brest, Châteaulin, Morlaix and Quimper.

Agricultural production is particularly favoured in the département’s north-east, with cattle, cereals, fruits and vegetables being produced. Over a third of the département is covered with forests, moors and wasteland. Along the coast, farmers divide their time between commercial fishing and working their small farms. France’s second-leading fishing port is Douarnenez. Brest, on the western coast, is a leading naval port. The region has limited industrial production which includes agricultural machinery, foundries, engineering works and naval and riverboat shipbuilding.

Îlle-et-Vilaine (35) - Il-ha- Gwilan [Breton]

This was created from the northeastern part of the old province of Bretagne. This area is generally flat, but there are forests, dunes and marshes in the north. It is bounded by the English Channel and the Region of Basse-Normandie [Lower Normandy] to the north, the Region of Pays de la Loire [Western Loire] to the east and south and the Départements of Morbihan and Côtes-d'Armor [Côtes-du-Nord] to the west. The coastline stretches westward from 3 miles west of Mont-Saint-Michel to an estuary 5 miles west of Dinard. Part of the coastline includes part of the rocky Côte d’Émeraude and the Rance River estuary where the towns of Saint-Malo and Dinard are located.

Rennes, the départemental prefecture is situated in the centre of the département, on the Îlle et Rance Canal which connects the north flowing Rance River with the Vilaine River that flows south-westerly into the Atlantic. The University of Rennes was founded in 1735. It is known for its Department of Breton Culture and Celtic languages. Again four arrondissements: Fougêres, Redon, Rennes and Saint-Malo.

Because of the tidal differential (25 foot) between high and low tides in the River Rance estuary, it is the prefect place to generate tidal electricity. To the east, the coastal strip of the bay of Mont-Saint-Michel is used for market gardening and sheep raising. Oysters are cultivated along the coast near Cancale. With the decline of thee fishing industry, coastal resorts have turned to tourism as a source of income. Wheat, fodder crops and vegetables are raised in the fertile Rennes basin and the département engages in apple growing for cider making, Breton Cider & Pommade are something to behold!

Morbihan (56) - Mor-Bihan [Breton]

Again created from what was part of the historic province of Bretagne, this time the southeastern corner. The name is taken from the virtually landlocked Morbihan Gulf, on the south coast, where the ancient town of Vannes is located on estuaries opening onto the gulf. Morbihan is bordered by the Département of Côtes-d'Armor [Côtes-du-Nord] to the north, Îlle-et-Villane to the east, the Region of Pays de la Loire [Western Loire] to the southeast, and the Bay of Biscay to the south and the Département of Finistére to the west.

On the north-western boundary of the départment the Black Mountains rise to 970 feet and form virtually the entire boundary length. The central plateau of the Landes de Lanvaux runs virtually the length of the département, parallel to the cost. In the east, the main streams flow eastward into the Vilaine River. In the west, rivers such as the Scorff and the Blavet flow southward to the ocean. The entire coastline is jagged. To the west of the Gulf of Morbihan is the Quiberon Peninsula that juts out into the Bay of Biscay, and to its south is the island of Belle-Île-en-Mer.

Morbihan’s principal economic activities are agriculture, fishing and tourism. Oysters are cultivated in the Gulf of Morbihan. Lorient, home of the Interceltic festival and naval port on the estuary of the Leita River, is a centre for building submarines. Tourism is the main source of income along the entire Morbihan coast and among the medieval towns and villages. The département is profligate in Menhirs and Megaliths, especially in the Carnac-Locmariaquer area, west of the Morbihan Gulf. Vannes, the prefecture of the départment is a centre for light industry and the harbour towns of Étel, Port-Louis, Groix and Quiberon have small canning factories.

This départment has only three arrondissements of Lorient, Pontivy and Vannes.

Our Language

This is one of the ancient, complex and subtle languages of the Celts. Like our childhood language it is part of the Brythonic family, Celtic languages comprises two groups: the Goidelic and Brythonic, as children, we were brought up with the former so Breton is not that much of a problem for us. Maybe that is why we have been accepted so readily.

In the 5th century, a massive influx of emigrants from Great Britain (Wales, Cornwall, Devon, Ireland & Scotland) crossed the sea as a result of the Germanic invasions of Britain, and renewed the Breton population: Armorica as it was known to the Romans; became Brittany (Little Britain) and its language Breton. At the time of the 3rd Republic, the French Ministry of Education intervened to banish this minority language from schools and children were punished for speaking it. All this changed in 1951 with the promulgation of the Deixonne law, which allowed for the Breton language and culture to be taught for one to three hours a week in public education if the teacher is willing and able to do it. Since then a number of schools and colleges have been set up providing either education through the Breton or bilingual Breton/French education system. In 1977, DIWAN schools, lay schools, were founded by teachers and parents, in order to teach Breton by immersion. They teach thousands of young people from elementary school to high school and are free to attend and open to all. At present there are 31 of these schools with some 20,000 pupils. Another teaching method proposed was a bilingual approach, Div Yezh (two languages).

The Breton language has discarded the originally numerous Indo-European cases for the noun and use only one case. Both employ the Roman alphabet for writing. The accent in Breton generally falls on the next-to-last syllable, with the exception of a single Breton dialect that has the accent on the last syllable. Today, the language is spoken by 600,000 people, half of whom use it on a daily basis, yet is the only Celtic language which is not recognized legally. The French state has refused to change the second article of the Constitution added in 1994, which declares, "The language of the Republic is French." Each year more protesters demand the repeal of this law, which is unique in Europe.

Please remember that this language is neither a patios, nor a minority local dialect. This is a true language spoken by 700,000 people, including ourselves. It is a powerful vector for discovering a way of life, as it stems from the oral traditions of a people and is strongly linked to their identity.

We complete this piece on the Breton language with the following quotation from "Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights":

“Dieub ha par en o dellezegezh hag o gwirioù eo ganet an holl dud. Poell ha skiant zo dezho ha dleout a reont bevañ an eil gant egile en ur spered a genvreudeuriezh.“

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

The People

This region of France is unique, protruding as it does into the Atlantic Ocean; it is the Celtic heartland of France. With its strong links to Wales, Ireland, the Western Isles and Cornwall, there are reminders of its history are everywhere - lonely Celtic crosses by the road, huge standing stones, the Celtic names and that wonderful language spoken by the old folk in tiny village bars, it makes us feel so at home. The Bretons do not consider themselves to be truly French, rather a nation within a nation.The warmth and friendliness of the people seem inexhaustible, as we have found in the time we have lived here, their little kindnesses, long conversations and simple generosity make us feel at home. Perhaps the most graphic example of this being that crime in Brittany is practically unknown. Everybody watches over everybody else in a casual sort of way. We have left our car unlocked for hours and when we return it’s just as we left it.

The Symbols

The Breton flag: The "Gwenn ha Du" (black and white) that can be seen flying almost everywhere in Brittany was designed in 1925 by Morvan Marchal. It comprises 9 stripes, five black stripes symbolising the ancient regions or bishoprics of High-Brittany: Dol, Nantes, Rennes, Saint-Brieuc and Saint-Malo, and four white stripes symbolising the four ancient regions or bishoprics of Low-Brittany: Cornouaille, Léon, Trégor and Vannetais. The top left of the flag is a quarter of ermine on a white background.

The Ermine: This is a small carnivorous mammal, a stoat, also known as the ermine on account of its winter coat and was used from an early date in heraldry, resembles a cross, generally with three lower points. The heraldic ermine is used in many European countries. Adopted in Brittany by the line of the Dukes of Montfort, it is now considered almost everywhere as the symbol of Brittany and is found in the

Coats of Arms of many Breton towns today, on signboards and on many products

The Triskell: This symbol originates from the Greek "triskeles" meaning with three legs, this decorative motif only reappeared in Brittany from the 1920s but was widely used by the ancient Celts. The Triskell can evoke the sun or perpetual motion. Very common today in the six Celtic countries, this decorative motif is used as the label of "Celticness".

The Costumes

Traditional Breton music is symbolised by the Breton bagpipes/organ combination (equivalent to the bagpipe/oboe duo). Played by musicians accompanied by singers or storytellers, this instrumental duo enlivens popular fetes and events. Other instruments may join in, such as the violin, the hurdy-gurdy, the harp or the clarinet, etc.

This musical tradition lives on thanks to creation of the “bagadou” that is the Breton form of the Scottish pipe bands. Today, the players animate all the “festou noz” (night time festivals) encouraging both young and old to dance. Breton dances are performed in the round, in line or in pairs. The heir to very ancient melodic traditions, Breton music is today combining with Celtic and modern influences. It is manifested by the presence of many Breton groups and artists such as Alan Stivell, Gilles Servat, Tri Yann, Dan Ar Braz and Le Bagad Kemper during fetes and festivals. Finally you should certainly make an effort to visit the InterCeltic festival in Lorient during July, but make sure you book your accommodation early.

Countryside

There is so much to offer, our home is on the southern coast; quiet, unspoilt, with few tourists and a rural landscape little changed in the past 50 years. Here the fields are small with tall hedges full of mature trees. As the farming is less intensive than in most of Europe there is wildlife in abundance, and we have even seen such rarities as wild boar. The area is not particularly flat, but is a rolling landscape with tiny country lanes that make the area very quiet; you are more likely to meet a tractor than a car. These lanes link ancient villages; each with its own bar and usually a baker where you can buy bread baked that morning, or the most mouth-watering cakes. For those who like peace and tranquillity, we have the Nantes-Brest canal at our doorstep, with its tow-path beside it running for over 100 miles.

The rest of Brittany is within easy reach of our home, bustling market towns, wide lakes, and beautiful river valleys. Along the southern coast are sandy beaches that stretch as far as the eye can see and Megalithic standing stones dominate the landscape. This is a more commercial area, if you fancy a quieter less touristy area; the dramatic north coast beckons with its sandy bays and steep cliffs. Perhaps you'd like a tour to one of the offshore islands on the north or south coast - anything is possible. One thing is for sure; everyone who comes here falls in love with the place.

Climate

Being on the west coast of France the summers are warm and temperate. It does rain sometimes, which is one of the reasons its countryside is so green and wooded, but it would be an unusual week if there were not more sun that cloud.

Spring is the time that the countryside is brightly coloured and alive with birdsong. The Breton summer can get pretty hot, up to about 35 degrees, but unlike France south of the Loire, you are unlikely to get scorched to the tarmac, believe us we've been in the Dordogne in July and it can be blistering! There again you do get a bracing sea breeze and the occasional shower and the really hot spells are normally preceded by light winds from the east. A unique feature of the climate in this region is the hazy light that gives the visitor a different perspective of the landscape. Autumn is a time of russet tints and spectacular photographic opportunities, especially at sunset. For those that like to watch rough seas, this is the season as north-westerly and south-westerly gales a frequent. As for winter, this is pretty mild the average temperature being about the same as the Mediterranean coast although occasionally there are ferocious easterly winds that are bitterly cold. During these "Dark Months" we sometimes get north-westerly and south-westerly winds that unleash their fury as sudden storms.

Megaliths and Menhirs

People have occupied Armorica since the Palaeolithic era. Living originally as hunter-gatherers, during the Neolithic period (around 4500 BC), the population became settled and gradually mastered the techniques of raising livestock, cultivating crops and building. This was the civilisation that created the tradition of standing stones. Most of the megaliths (dolmens, tumulus, and menhirs) were constructed between 4500 and 200 BC, at a time when, according to one Greek scholar, the Ancient Greeks were struggling to come to terms with the complexities of democracy, these people were plotting the course of the stars and the influence of the moon in relation to the seasons of the year. With almost 3000 standing stones spread over several sites, Carnac is the place to see some of the greatest vestiges of megalithic art.

Dolmens

A Breton word meaning long stones, these were once used as communal sepulchres. They comprise monumental stones raised as basic stone tables, covered alleyways or corridors leading to a mortuary chamber. Some dolmens are decorated with various motifs: idols, snakes, cross or axes, and elaborately engraved, such as the one at Gravinis, in the Gulf of Morbihan. Initially they housed some 15 dead, perhaps all members of the same family, or eminent personages but by the end of the Neolithic, they sometimes accommodated the bones of hundreds of people. The dolmens had a cultural purpose and were associated with funeral rites celebrating the passage from life to death. Frequently they were established at remote sites, thus reinforcing the secret nature of these rites.

Tumuli and Cairns

A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones covering a mortuary chamber. The internal structure is in wood and small stone slabs. Within the family of collective sepulchres, the most highly structured is the cairn, constructed using stone blocks forming dry-stone walls. This juxtaposition of compartments indicates that Cairns were the sites of various types of ceremony. Tumulus and Cairns are generally constructed at sites visible from afar, of symbolic importance, and the central point of the community.

Menhirs

This is a Breton word meaning standing stones, menhirs are even more numerous and mysterious than the dolmens. Isolated or in groups, they may be arranged in a straight line, in alignment or in a circle. Their size ranges from a few centimetres to more than twenty metres. The spacing between the stones, their orientation and the outline they define was certainly of ritual or astronomic significance. Reference has been made to religious rites linked to the cult of fertility, or ceremonies in honour of the sun, etc. Their location does not appear to be the result of random hazard, but fulfils a real function. The alignments at Carnac, for example, appear to indicate the positions of the sun throughout the year.

A good example of a menhir is the one to the left. This huge standing stone near Dol De Bretagne is 9.5m (almost 32ft) high and solid granite that was probably transported about 4km to get it here. It weighs around 50 tons and has been smoothed and shaped. The base is almost square in section then it gently tapers to a rounded top.

A word of caution, if you are using a British GPS to guide you to the sites of these stones don't bother, its about as useful as a catflap in a submarine unless you spend about 300€ on a replacement card that is supplied by IGN - the French equivalent of Ordinance Survey. You will get lost; believe us, we found out the hard way

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"Tro Breiz" - The Tour of Brittany

Tradition has it that is was the duty of all Bretons should make a pilgrimage to the seven cathedrals of Brittany at least once in their lifetime, at least that was the case until the 16th century. During the 12th to 16th centuries it was estimated that 30 to 40 thousand people took to the roads each year. This pilgrimage covered some 700 kilometres and allowed the faithful to pay homage to the relics of the founding saints of Brittany: St.Brieuc and St.Malo at the towns of the same name, St.Samson at Dol-De-Bretagne, St.Pattern at Vannes, St.Corentine at Quimper, St.Paul the Aurelian at St.Pol-De-Léon and St.Tugduel at Tréguier. Folklore has it that those who failed to make this pilgrimage during their lifetime had to make it after their death, moving onward by the length of their coffin every seven years. The hell!!

The road to paradise:

Stage 1 St Pol - Tréguier
Stage 2 Tréguier - St-Brieuc
Stage 3 St Brieuc - St Malo
Stage 4 St Malo - Dol
Stage 5 Dol - Vannes
Stage 6 Vannes - Quimper
Stage 7 Quimper - St Pol