3 days of fun and festivities with a parade of floats and music, torchlight procession and fireworks. Bird shooting to choose the king, election of the queen, popular dances and funfair...
According to legend, the festival is associated with the image of Léonette de Joinville.
A historical figure, Léonette, heiress of the barony of Gex, married Simon de Joinville in 1252. For half a century, she was the sovereign of the barony of Gex, from Châtillon-en-Michaille to Versoix.
Around 1225, at the wedding of Léonette, Dame de Gex, to the Prince of Joinville, great celebrations and festivities brightened up the bailiwick. The table of the new spouses and the lords was filled with the most varied dishes. Superb birds with golden and juicy flesh, as tempting as they could be, aroused the desire of some of the manants. Some of the more daring ones approached the lordly table and demanded a share of these birds.
The Prince of Joinville, outraged by such impudence, decided to hang the manants to punish them for their insolence. More lenient, the gentle Léonette intercedes on behalf of her people and a pardon is granted. To settle the dispute, the birds are hoisted to the top of a pike. The best shooters practise on this target and their skill grants them this much desired share.
This game, which originated in a quarrel, amuses the lords, who decide to repeat it every Trinity Sunday on the anniversary of their lady's wedding.
The winner is proclaimed King of the Bird and, if he repeats this feat, obtains a title and rank in the States.
And so from year to year, from century to century, the legend of the Bird enlivens the festivals of the Bailiwick of Gex.
Date
From Friday 24 to Monday 27 May 2024
Opening hours on Friday between 7 pm and 1 am. On Saturday between 9 am and 1 am. On Sunday between 10.30 am and 9 pm.
Rates
Free of charge.
Services
Adapted tourism
- Hearing disability
- Mental disability
- Visual disability
