Normandy Day 3!!

As usual, on Sunday, we got up in a hurry, realizing we needed to get downstairs and eat. After a breakfast of cereal, breakfast tarts, croissants, baguettes, yogart, applesauce, fruit, cheese, sausage, juice, coffee and tea, we drove to the school where everything and everyone was getting ready for the festival. Everyone was very busy; Stephane was doing womens hair, putting on headwear and making final adjustments on costumes. He was extremely busy with all his dutys and people coming to him with questions and problems. Finally we got in line with Madame Christine to get our hair done. When she saw us she had me (Sami) take the curlers out of my hair since hair plans had changed. Then she had us go find our bonnets. Emily's was cream and dusty pink, the bonnet is what a fiance from Val de Serre would wear. It was very pretty! Mine was cream with darker cream colored flowers. My bonnet is called a Coiffure de Pierrier, which was a bonnet for girls having their first communion :D After we collected our hats, she started on Emily's hair. She started out by brushing it back from her face which made it pretty straight. Then she put it into two ponytails; with the bottem part she made one braid and the top she made two. Then she twisted them around to make a bun. She kept moving Emily's head back the way she wanted it, but with all her brushing and pulling her head kept getting moved different ways. Then she put the bonnet on her and tied the bow under her chin, which didn't look very good so Stephane tied it again later. After that she moved onto my hair. She brushed it back into a ponytail and curled it into a bun. She practically used a full can of hairspray on both of our hair, to keep everything sleeked back in place. Then she put my bonnet on my head and tied the ribbon, which Robet ended up retying. Then we realized we better go to the bathroom before we put on our dresses. So we found our dresses and went searching with Robert for a bathroom. In a school you'd think that'd be an easy quest, but it wasn't. We went upstairs, but every direction that should have had a bathroom was locked. Finally we found one, used it and then changed in a coat room. We had to get Robert's help on a few things, but for the most part we were able to manage. We now understand why women had maids because putting on one of those dresses is really a two to three person job. Finally we had everything situated and headed to Stephane for final approval. He added pins to both of our dresses and adjusted bits and pieces. Within an hour we had moved into another century. Once we were dressed a group of us, Robert included, headed down to the village to check out the stores. The main reason for our venture into town was to get clips for the documentary being filmed. We saw people making lace, forging copper, spinning wool, and other people dressed up in their own costumes. Every couple steps people were either taking our picture or clapping for us. We had lunch at one of the girl's grandmothers charcuterie/house. We felt like we were in Little House on the Prarie, because the house was just like one that could have been in the town. Once you passed through the shop you were in a dining room and up the stairs was the rest of the house, very similar to the Olsen's Mercantile. We had ham and butter on a baguette, with some lemonade. Speaking of Little House on the Prarie, one of the girls in the group was Stephane's niece Clementine or as Robert called her Nellie Olsen. She was kinda bossy and Robert's teasing frustrated her. After lunch we headed back up to the school to start the parade. We all gathered in the courtyard of the school for a group picture, which turned out really good. If placed beside a real picture from that time, no one would know any difference. Then Stephane paired us all up with our partners, I was with Robert and right behind us was Emily with a man from Argentina named Gustavo. At the front of the parade were the young children, then a carriage with the bride and her "parents," then came a group of couples (us included). Following us came a carriage being pulled by a donkey with an elderly couple, then came a group of young couples, another carriage pulled by a donkey, another group of people, another carriage pulled by a horse with a group of elderly women and a young lady being escorted by them. After that came another group of people and finally a carriage being pulled by a horse with Stephane and his "mother" inside. There was a total of eighty people involved in the reenactment. We wandedered through the town, people would cheer and yell, "Long live the marriage!" Others would take pictures and clap. Robert loved waving at all the older people who would wave back smiling. The sidewalks were completely packed, there were around four thousand people! Along the way we stopped for hard cider and brioche, where people continued taking pictures of the group. All this while Stephane was running around taking pictures with people all over the place and making sure everything was organized. At the same moment we stopped for cider the clouds parted and the sun came out. We were then able to use our umbrellas that were loaned to Stephane from this man who has a huge collection of them. After our little break we continued to a park where the ceremony was to be performed. We walked around the crowd once, which was growing as people filtered in from the streets, then we prepared for the dance. It wasn't a big deal really because the dance wasn't that hard (right heel, left heel, right right, left left). We danced around in a circle, then proceeded to the stage. Once all the people who had roles in the ceremony and older people were seated, the rest of us filtered in. Robert got us a really good spot right up front! Then the ceremony began, and people presented the couple with the dowry. The dowry included sheets from his "mother," some sort of pot/bowl from a lady, a pair of crotchless bloomers from a 95 year old lady who was a fabulous actress, she also gave them a snuff box. Then the creamer, who looked like Robin Williams, presented them with butter. After that his "cousins" from the country showed up and presented them with a pig, which pooped all over the stage and a couple people, including Stephane's real father. As we said it had it's shit scared right out of it. It was sooo funny!! The entire ceremony was very comical. Stephane throughout the ceremony was mouthing the lines along with the people saying them, he knew the entire script by heart. The whole thing was in Patois, a dialect from the region. Thus I understood nothing and Robert understood a little. During the entire parade and ceremony the documentary crew and people from the news were filming, and a hired photographer was as well. Stephane said he would hook us up with any picture we want. However, Robert stole one of the group photos being passed around at dinner, since he thought the one Stephane was getting would be damaged. After the ceremony we "mingled" in the park while the news crew was filming live. Then we wandered over and had some more cider and a variety of cookies. Then we all got back in formation and headed up towards the school. We were taken to a place near the school where a huge dinner was set up for the "wedding party" and guests. Before dinner the documentary crew pulled us aside, as they were with many other people, to interview us, especially since we are "American women." He asked us how we felt being involved and yada yada yada. We hope we don't sound too American or unpolished and that make Stephane and Robert proud. Under a big tent there was a long table set with place settings and menus with our names on them. We sat next to each other, thank goodness, and across from us was Robert. To Emily's right was a French couple who are living in Tennesse, and to my left were two couples who live in Normandy and speak a little English. Then our seven course meal started with a chicken broth, bread and cider. Then came a butter roll stuffed with ham-pot-pie filling and a piece of saussage on top. Next came chicken and steamed carrots and potatoes with with a white cream sauce. Then came an aperitif which was the French version of Applejack Brandy. Robert wanted us to get a picture with Stephane and our drinks, but since Stephane was so busy he told us to just drink them. That seemed like a good plan, but then he came back for the picture and Robert found us two more shots that we drank. The Normans around us cheered and said we were one of them now! The next course was lamb and beans, which was followed by a plate of salad. After our plates were cleared we had rice pudding, which was absolutely delicious!! Throughout the meal people were dancing traditional country dances. Emily joined in during a waltz, which Robert and I enjoyed watching. Stephane was out there almost the whole time, he is an amazing dancer, very graceful and quick on his feet. We were all starting to fall asleep so we headed back to the school to get changed and go to bed. We said goodbye to Stephane's parents which we had met earlier in the day. They are both very nice and lively. They wanted me tell Gramma Karen hello for them, so thats for you. Then we had our bonnets taken off and our hair undone. Both of us had rather volumous hair after that. With our dresses hung up and put away, we headed back to the hotel and went to bed around 2. It was a long day, but we will never forget any of it. Everything was quite extraordinary.