The general notion of life in France is that it is filled with glamour, high fashion, extraordinary art and architecture and fine cuisine. However, little known to the outside world is that people of France also love to let their hair down, get messy and act absolutely silly. French people, especially of the countryside are famous for their highly entertaining festivals and fun-filled events. The annual Festival of the Pig held in the little commune Trie-sur-Ba'se every August, located in the southern France, is one of the many bizarre festivals that are held in France each year. To celebrate the pig, often considered chubby and cute and a delicious meal by meat-eaters world over, is indeed a strange cause. But, to the villagers of this commune this festival is a time for some asinine fun and a way to attract hundreds of tourists to their homeland.
First held in 1975, the festival is widely known in France as La Pourcailhade or La Fete du Cochon. At the festival, participants and attendees get together to partake in some of the most outrageous competitions and pageants that involve the pig. Competitions include the Best Pig Outfit, piglet races and eating of pork-sausages. The festival's highlight is the 'French Pig-Squealing Championships', known in French as Championnat de France du Cri de Cochon. In this highly-popular competition, participants should imitate the sounds of a pig during its various life stages. With so many strange competitions in one festival, participants and viewers are bound to be left tickled with laughter. Following the contests is a night filled with prolonged music, singing and dancing.
Organized by the Brotherhood of the Pig, the Festival of the Pig has survived in its commune because of the village's reputation as one of the largest pig-rearing areas in France. The festival was also featured in the television programme Eurotrash. Although a festival of harmless fun, the Festival of Pig was also subject to controversy when in 2005, a photograph of a participant was manipulated to poke fun of the Prophet
Mohammed. It was this incident that brought the festival international fame. Despite its negative attention in the aftermath of the controversy, the Festival of Pig continues to live on and bring the people of Trie-sur-Ba'se a reason to have some light-hearted fun every second Sunday of August.
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