Bretons

Modern Breton identity

Many people throughout France claim Breton ethnicity, including a few French celebrities such as Marion Cotillard, Suliane Brahim, Malik Zidi, Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, Yoann Gourcuff, Nolwenn Leroy and Yann Tiersen.

The assertion of Breton identity has sometimes brought Bretons into conflict with the French state. Under the law of 11 germinal an XI (1803), only first names drawn from approved calendars or from ancient history could be entered in the civil registers, and Breton-language names were often rejected, although a 1966 ministerial instruction and later case law allowed names established in local tradition. From the 1950s, the Breton activists Jean-Jacques and Mireille Manrot-Le Goarnig fought a fifteen-year court case after registrars refused to record the Breton first names of their younger children, leaving six of them without civil status; the family was denied family benefits and several of its members were imprisoned. According to later press accounts, a decision at the European level described the six unregistered children as "European citizens of Breton nationality" — a formula that, as Le Figaro noted, was used only once and confers no legal status, since Breton nationality does not exist in French law. In 2016, Jonathan Le Bris sought to renounce French nationality and be recognised as a Breton national, invoking the Goarnig precedent. Disputes over Breton names have continued: in 2019 a child named Fañch definitively won the right to keep the tilde in his first name when the Court of Cassation rejected a final appeal against a Rennes appeal-court ruling in his favour.

Diaspora

The Breton community outside Brittany includes groups of Bretons in France and in others countries. According to data from the administrative region of Brittany, around 400 000 Bretons live in a country other than France, most notably in Canada and the United States.

In France

The Breton community outside Brittany includes groups of Bretons in the Greater Paris area, Le Havre, and Toulon. In Paris, Bretons used to settle in the neighborhood around the Montparnasse train station, which is also the terminus of the Paris-Brest railway. The Paris Metro construction was co-directed by a Breton, Fulgence Bienvenüe. On 30 June 1933, the "Avenue du Maine" station on the Metro was renamed "Bienvenüe" in his honor. Connected by a corridor to the Montparnasse metro station, located beneath the Montparnasse railway station, Bienvenüe station finally merged with Montparnasse station in 1942 to become Montparnasse – Bienvenüe metro station.

In the United States

Famous Breton Americans and Americans of Breton descent include John James Audubon, Jack Kerouac, Sylvester Stallone and Tina Weymouth.

From 1885 to 1970, several thousand Bretons migrated to the United States, many of them leaving the Black Mountains of Morbihan. In June 2020, a replica of the Statue of Liberty was dedicated in Gourin, Morbihan, to celebrate the legacy of these emigrants.

In China

Bretons have also emigrated to China. A Breton association regularly organises the ‘Fest-noz de Pékin’ (Beijing Fest-Noz).

In Chile

At the same time as the French emigrated to Chile in the 19th century, many Bretons also emigrated to Chile. Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet is a notable descendant from a Breton immigrant from Lamballe.

Culture

Religion

The Breton people are predominantly members of the Catholic Church, with minorities in the Reformed Church of France and non-religious people. Brittany was one of the most staunchly Catholic regions in all of France. Attendance at Sunday mass dropped during the 1970s and the 1980s; however, other religious practices, such as pilgrimages, have experienced a revival. This includes the Tro Breizh, which takes place in the shrines of the seven founding saints of Breton Christianity. The Christian tradition is widely respected by both believers and nonbelievers, who see it as a symbol of Breton heritage and culture.

Breton religious tradition places great emphasis on the "Seven Founder Saints":

• Paul Aurelian, at Saint-Pol-de-Léon (Breton: Kastell-Paol),
• Tudwal (Sant Tudwal), at Tréguier (Breton: Landreger),
• Brioc, at Saint-Brieuc (Breton: Sant-Brieg, Gallo: Saent-Berioec),
• Malo, at Saint-Malo (Breton: Sant-Maloù, Gallo: Saent-Malô),
• Samson of Dol, at Dol-de-Bretagne (Breton: Dol, Gallo: Dóu),
• Padarn, at Vannes (Breton: Gwened),
• Corentin (Sant Kaourintin), at Quimper (Breton: Kemper).

Pardons

A pardon is the patron saint's feast day of the parish. It often begins with a procession followed by mass in honour of the saint. Pardons are often accompanied by small village fairs. The three most famous pardons are:

• Sainte-Anne d'Auray/Santez-Anna-Wened
• Tréguier/Landreger, in honour of St Yves
• Locronan/Lokorn, in honour of St Ronan, with a troménie (a procession, 12 km long) and numerous people in traditional costumes

Tro Breizh

There is an ancient pilgrimage called the Tro Breizh (tour of Brittany) which involves pilgrims walking around Brittany from the grave of one of the Seven Founder Saints to another. Currently, pilgrims complete the circuit over the course of several years. In 2002, the Tro Breizh included a special pilgrimage to Wales, symbolically making the reverse journey of the Welshmen Paul Aurelian, Brioc, and Samson. According to Breton religious tradition, whoever does not make the pilgrimage at least once in his lifetime will be condemned to make it after his death, advancing only by the length of his coffin every seven years.

Folklore and traditional belief

Some pagan customs from the old pre-Christian tradition remain the folklore of Brittany. The most powerful folk figure is the Ankou or the "Reaper of Death".

Language

There are four main Breton dialects: Gwenedeg (Vannes), Kerneveg (Cornouaille), Leoneg (Leon) and Tregerieg (Trégor), which have varying degrees of mutual intelligibility. In 1908, a standard orthography was devised. The fourth dialect, Gwenedeg, was not included in this reform, but was included in the later orthographic reform of 1941.

The Breton language is a very important part of Breton identity. Breton itself is one of the Brittonic languages and is closely related to Cornish and more distantly to Welsh. Breton is thus an Insular Celtic language and is more distantly related to the long-extinct Continental Celtic languages, such as Gaulish, that were formerly spoken on the European mainland, including the areas colonised by the ancestors of the Bretons.

In eastern Brittany, a regional langue d'oïl, Gallo, developed. Gallo shares certain areal features such as points of vocabulary, idiom, and pronunciation with Breton, but is a Romance language. Neither language has official status under French law; however, some still use Breton as an everyday language. As of the 1980s, bilingual roadsides have been placed around the department as a way to regain a sense of cultural heritage.

From 1880 to the mid-20th century, Breton was banned from the French school system and children were punished for speaking it. This was similar to Britain's enforcement of English, not Welsh, being used in Welsh schools during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The situation changed in 1951 with the Deixonne Law. This law allowed Breton language and culture to be taught 1–3 hours a week in the public school system on the provision that a teacher was both able and prepared to do so. In modern times, a number of schools and colleges have emerged with the aim of providing Breton-medium education or bilingual Breton/French education.

Breton-language media

There are a number of Breton language weekly and monthly magazines. Newspapers, magazines and online journals available in Breton include Al Lanv (based in Quimper), Al Liamm, Louarnig-Rouzig, and Bremañ.

Several radio stations broadcast in the Breton language: Arvorig FM, France Bleu Armorique, France Bleu Breizh-Izel, Radio Bro Gwened, Radio Kerne, and Radio Kreiz Breizh.

Television programmes in Breton are available on Brezhoweb, France 3 Breizh, France 3 Iroise, TV Breizh and TV Rennes.

Music

Fest-noz

A fest-noz is a traditional festival (essentially a dance) in Brittany. Many festoù-noz are held outside Brittany, taking regional Breton culture outside Brittany. Although the traditional dances of the fest-noz are old, some dating back to the Middle Ages, the fest-noz tradition is itself more recent, dating back to the 1950s. Fest-Noz was officially registered on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, by UNESCO on the "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."

Traditional dance

There are many traditional Breton dances, the most well-known being gavottes, An Dro, the hanter dro, and the plinn. During the fest-noz, most dances are practised in a chain or in a circle with participants locking little (pinky) fingers; however, there are also dances in pairs and choreographed dances with sequences and figures.

Traditional Breton music

Two main types of Breton music are a choral a cappella tradition called kan ha diskan, and music involving instruments, including purely instrumental music. Traditional instruments include the bombard (similar to an oboe) and two types of bagpipes (veuze and binioù kozh). Other instruments often found are the diatonic accordion, the clarinet, and occasionally violin as well as the hurdy-gurdy. After World War II, the Great Highland bagpipe (and binioù bras) became commonplace in Brittany through the bagadoù (Breton pipe bands) and thus often replaced the binioù-kozh. The basic clarinet (treujenn-gaol) had all but disappeared but has regained popularity over the past few years.

Modern Breton music

Nowadays groups with many different styles of music may be found, ranging from rock to jazz such as Red Cardell, ethno-rock, Diwall and Skeduz as well as punk. Some modern fest-noz groups also use electronic keyboards and synthesisers, for example Strobinell, Sonerien Du, Les Baragouineurs, and Plantec.

Breton cuisine

Breton cuisine contains many elements from the wider French culinary tradition. Local specialities include:

• Chouchenn – a type of Breton mead
• Fars forn (far breton) – a sweet suet pudding with prunes
• Kouign-amann – butter pastry
• Krampouezh (crêpes or galettes) – thin pancakes made either from wheat or buckwheat flour; usually eaten as a main course
• Lambig – apple eau de vie
• Sistr – cider
• Caramel au beurre salé – salted butter caramel

Symbols of Brittany

Traditional Breton symbols of Brittany include:

• The national anthem Bro Gozh ma Zadoù, based on the Welsh Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.
• The traditional motto of the former Dukes of Brittany is Kentoc'h mervel eget bezañ saotret in Breton, or Potius mori quam fœdari in Latin which translates to "death before dishonour".
• The "national day" is observed on 1 August, the Feast of Saint Erwann (Saint Yves). Although, the "Gouel Breizh" (Festival of Brittany), is the biggest Breton national event, taking place every year during the week of the 19th of May: the day Saint Yves died.
• The ermine is an important symbol of Brittany reflected in the ancient blazons of the Duchy of Brittany and also in the chivalric order, L’Ordre de l’Hermine (The Order of the Ermine).
• The triskele is also an important symbol in Breton culture. The triskele is a traditional Celtic symbol that the Bretons use to connect them to their Celtic heritage.