My husband is a faithful rodeo attendee and never misses a single wagon race. He loves the Calgary Stampede. Every year in July, he dons his cowboy gear for the official 10 days of the Stampede and any outlying events. This year he will really miss his favorite event of the year as we will not be in Calgary. The excellent news, there is no lack of cowboy culture, horses and bulls in Provence.

The Camargue is located west of Marseille, south of Arles, divided by the Rhone River and bordered by the Mediterranean. This unique landscape is the swampy wetland of the Rhône river delta. The Camargue is large, with 930 square kilometers, of which at least a third is water in the form of lakes or canals. This wild and beautiful landscape has been protected in some way since 1927. In 2008, it was incorporated into the Carmague Regional Nature Park and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is certainly a place worth protecting.

Apart from the water, the Camargue is full of fauna. There are black bulls bred for two purposes; fight and his meat. The landscape is home to a distinctive and powerful white horse. These steeds are a peculiar little breed that have adapted to the harsh local conditions for thousands of years. Both the bulls and the horses roam semi-wild through the ranches or herds. There are also many birds, thousands of them, including flocks of pink flamingos.

Like all areas of France, the Camargue can boast a strong local industry built around farming and food production. There are paddy fields that stretch for miles, though production is now a third of what it was in the 1970s. Other grains planted included corn, wheat and canola. On the mainland, there are vineyards and fruit trees. Local fishing and the production of Fleur de Sel (special salt) are also important sources of employment in the region.

What does that have to do with bulls?

Bulls have existed in this swampy area since Roman times. Organized Spanish bullfights (la corrida) were first held in the arena at Arles in 1853, although by then the events had been taking place for more than 150 years. The Fairs or fairs are huge attractions in the region, the season runs from mid-March to mid-November, it is known as the bullfighting season. The largest events can attract more than 500,000 spectators. Aside from the bullfight, there are a number of other popular events, varying in levels of madness.

The course Camarguaizes a sport of humble origins as a form of daring corral game. It achieved official status in 1975. The point, of course, of cocorade is to cut or remove ribbons from a bull’s horns for prize money. The participants are called raseteurs. They need to remove three attributes from the bull to win a cash prize. The three elements are, the roundel (a red ribbon attached to the center of the bull’s head), the acorn (two white locks attached to the horns), and the rope (this wraps around a horn and must be removed at the end) . The crowd usually cheers for the bull. Herd owners are extremely proud to have their bulls appear at events, and even happier if the animal wins the heat and wins some prize money. This event offers exciting entertainment, with agile cowboys and fast bulls.

Encierros, which is the same Spanish name for the bulls in the streets. This event does not need much explanation. The bulls are let loose in the narrow streets of the town, with brave or crazy participants running before them. Events in Provence may not be as famous as those in Spain’s Pampalona, ​​a seven-day festival held annually from July 6-14. However, the idea of ​​the lockdown is the same with large and powerful mammals running through the streets.

The abrivado an event that was originally related to the herding of bulls from their pastures to the arena. This event has been evolving and now the shepherds on horseback deliver the bulls in the populated centers. This ancient practice has continued to gain crowd appeal. Spectators make noises and gestures in an attempt to intimidate the horses, hoping that the bull will escape.

Around all this madness there are parties, traditional costumes, prizes and lots of cowboy fun.