The annual Fête Votive rolled into Lourmarin last week, completely consuming this tiny Luberon village, as it does every year on the last weekend in August. Unfortunately, the mistral blew into town around the same time; but nothing could dampen the palpable excitement that fills the hearts of the inhabitants of Lourmarin and their guests during this festival. Every village in Provence has a fête votive, each slated for a particular weekend every year. These fêtes or festivals probably had their origin in the Catholic practice of honoring the patron saint of the village, but are now clearly more secular than religious. “Votive” refers to the fulfillment of a vow which, in this case, would be to remain dedicated and grateful to the saint(s) who protectively watch over the respective village. No one with whom we spoke, however, was the least bit familiar with the religious aspect of Lourmarin’s fête votive. It really had much more to do with having a party, they said. And, to that end, Lourmarin was… tremendously successful. The festivities actually commenced the night before the four-day even began. While the wonderland of games and amusement rides stood patiently, the locals attended a pot luck dinner on [...]