Occitan soul
PARLAR, BALAR, CHANTAR… A NÒSTRA MÒDA
SPEAKING, DANCING, SINGING… IN OUR OWN WAY
The cultural identity, the Occitan soul, can be perceived in the proud sense of belonging. It is a strong spirit that today regains momentum combining tradition and modernity.
Occitan, the medieval troubadours’ language, is still nowadays widely spoken in the valley, which has retained age-old festivals. Costume parades of the “Baia” and the “Beò”, processions for patron saints and ancient musical instruments renew every time this precious heritage in a kaleidoscope of colours, rhythms and emotions.
The Music
This kind of artistic expression has always been of importance for the Occitan culture. The poems of the troubadours were sung and accompanied by instruments. Even today, mainly in the upper valley, the traditional dances are an aspect of this culture, which remained particularly vital, especially among the young ones.
Some of the music is almost certain of medieval origin; a good number is from the following centuries while others are new compositions.
The instrument that once upon a time was used to perform the music was the violin. It was being held pointing downward and played with double chords, one of them serving as bass voice. Since the end of the 19th century the violin became gradually substituted by various kinds of accordions and diatonic accordions, which were accompanied by instruments of very old tradition like the ghironda (barrel-organ), the galoubet (small flute) and others.
Among the smaller instruments, which today are mostly out of use, the arbebo and the scacciapensieri (jaw harps) and several types of percussion are worth remembering.
Traditional dances
Traditional dancing occurs in several occasions, from the Baia of Sampeyre to the Beò of Blins, on numerous saints’ days both in summer and winter, at the new invented or spontaneous celebrations, and there are a lot of single musicians and groups that offer this dances in traditional as well as in modern style.
Many dances have been conserved, among them the well known giga and corenta. Some of them are group dances with four, six or eight dancers forming couples; others include a not specified number of couples that dance all together. Particular is the balet, once a dance itself (as it still is in the Vermenagna Valley), it became a kind of "coda" that closes all the dances of Sampeyre.
For more information 
The Beò of Blins: next edition 2012
The Beò, an "Abbadia" similar to the Baìo of Sampeyre, which is connected to the chasing of the Saracens and has its origins in the medieval period, took place every year in the Quartier n'aot (consisting of the districts Chiazale, Celle and Prafouchier di Bellino) until 1939 and was then interrupted by the war from 1940 to 1945. The last time it took place before the recent edition of February 1999 was in 1958.
It consists of a court of persons in costumes, each having a special role and signification, but at the same time leaving a lot of space for improvisation and inspiration for the characters as well as for the spectators.
In Blins they tell that the encounter of the Saracens with the local population took place in the district of Preifiol, between Chiazale and S. Anna. The invaders forced the people from Bellino to retreat to Lou Fountanil, where they succeeded to annihilate the Saracens with the help of the reinforcement.
Some characters of the Beò can also be found at the Baia of Sampeyre (e.g. the "Sapeur, Lou Viéi and La Vièio, Les Sarazines"), whereas other characters appear in similar ritual ceremonies of other valleys ("lou Carabinìer, lou Medic", with similar roles of homonymous characters at the Barbòeros of Villar d'Acceglio in the Maira Valley).
The costumes
Chianale, saint’s day of Saint Lawrence.
In the upper valley, especially in summer, on the occasion of the saints’ days, men, women and children in traditional costumes can be admired. Particularly interesting is the female dress that varies from the Castellata (Bellino, Pontechianale and Casteldelfino) to Sampeyre. In the upper valley it is made of black woollen cloth – even the bridal one – with three big folds at the back and it is straight without tightening at the waist. It is adorned with an apron or a shawl made of cotton or wool, of silk for the brides, and always very colourful. The hood (la bera) is also very precious, the brim consisting of a broad bobbin lace work that has been made using up to several hundred bobbins. The saints’ days, where the costumes are displayed, do always have a religious part with the Holy Mass, the Procession with the costumes and the auction, a public sale, whose proceeds are bestowed on the chapels. The secular part consists of various entertainments, games and the inevitable dance in the evening.