Where else in the world would this happen?

Stuffed boar chasing people in La Clusaz, France, at the Fete du ReblochonIt’s been a few years since I mentioned the Fete du Reblochon, but watching the parade here in La Clusaz the other day made me realise it’s time to bring it up again. Where else in the world would you be ‘chased’ by a stuffed wild boar on wheels, led by a man dressed as a country bumkpin?

The boar was projected towards the crowd that had gathered for the Fete du Reblochon parade and the French man directing it seemed pretty happy with his job. Other highlights of the parade were the kids throwing hay and some sort of seeds that stung as they hit bare skin, and the men carrying an enormous amount of hay on their heads (like massive grass affros), the deafening bell ringers and best of all, the free samples of Reblochon cheese — the local cheese of the Aravis valley, which covers La Clusaz, Le Grand Bornand, Thônes and the villages dotted around them. The Fete du Reblochon is a really enjoyable day offering all sorts of rural entertainment. It swaps the Ferris wheel for a donkey race, the target shooting for wood chopping, hot dogs for local diot sausages, the man selling that amazing kitchen chopping device that peels, grates, chops, dices and more for the woman explaining how cheese is made, and the showbags of sweets for bags of cheese. It’s a great day out.

Now, back to the boar. Spain might have the running of the bulls and Rio might have Carnival, but La Clusaz is possibly the only place in the world that has the stuffed boar on wheels. And at least one person (the guy pulling the boar) thinks that’s a win.

About

I'm a technical author, journalist and writer from Australia who has been living in Europe since 2000 and exploring the world from there. My passions are writing, snow sports and travel.

4 Comments on “Where else in the world would this happen?

  1. That looks so much fun! I love the little village fêtes that are held all over France to celebrate all kinds of thing. In this area lots of fêtes of mirabelles, piglets, apples and round about harvest time some massive events.

  2. That’s so awesome! How can you go wrong with a stuffed boar and free cheese? Too bad it’s a 9 hour drive from Lille.