tradition

Handed down from generation to generation, costumes were worn in the past at family and public festivals. They were used to distinguish between parishes and traditional regions.

The originality of women’s costumes comes from the head-dress, which was worn mostly in Finistère and Morbihan. Decorated with ribbon and lace, its shape and size vary according to each region. The bigoudène and the Fouesnant headdresses are the most famous.

Pardons are religious occasions, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. There are still many of them today and all begin with mass followed by a procession.

The Breton flag, the Gwenn ha du,created in 1925 following the model of the American flag, has nine black and white stripes and a semy of ermine spots. The five black stripes represent the five ancient dioceses of Upper Brittany: Rennes, Nantes, Dol, Saint-Brieuc and Saint-Malo. The four white stripes represent the ancient dioceses of Lower Brittany: Léon, Cornouaille, Vannetais and Trégor.

The ermine has been used in many countries in Europe. Adopted in Brittany by the family of the Duc de Montfort,the heraldic ermine is now considered as “the” symbol of Brittany. It appears on the coats of arms of many Breton towns, on signs and on products

The triskell only appeared in Brittany at the start of the 1920’s but is one of the oldest Celtic symbols. It represents the three forces of nature: earth, water and air. Very familiar in the six Celtic countries, this decorative motif is used as an emblem of the wider Celtic culture.