Seasonal Festivals and Their Spirits

Provence's calendar revolves around festivals that blend Christian observance with far older traditions. These celebrations often invoke beings that don't quite fit orthodox theology.

The Thirteen Desserts and Christmas Spirits

The Provençal Christmas tradition of thirteen desserts (representing Christ and the apostles) has deeper roots. Each dessert must be tasted to ensure good fortune, but folklore warns of spirits that try to steal them:

Les Esprits Gourmands (Gluttonous Spirits) supposedly slip into houses between Christmas Eve and Epiphany. Invisible except to cats and babies, they pilfer desserts left uncovered. Families who wake to find their thirteen desserts disturbed know these spirits visited. The solution? Leave a fourteenth dessert, unmarked and uncounted, as the spirits' share.

These beings aren't malicious—houses they visit often receive unexpected good fortune, as if the spirits leave payment for what they take. Some theorize they're descendants of household gods (Lares) from Roman times, still expecting their offerings.

La Targo and the Carnival of the Dead

In certain Provençal villages, Carnival includes the Targo, a mock funeral for a giant doll representing winter's death. But older residents whisper that the Targo represents something specific—the annual death of the King of Shadows, who rules the dark half of the year.

During the Targo procession, villagers wear masks not for fun but for protection. The King of Shadows' servants, invisible but present, seek new recruits as their master dies. Anyone they recognize as unmasked may be marked for death within the year. The masks fool these servants, who can't distinguish between the living and the carved faces.

The ceremony ends with burning the Targo, but tradition demands someone secretly rescue a piece—a hand, a scrap of clothing—to ensure the cycle continues. Without this saved fragment, winter might never return, leaving the land in endless, withering summer.