The 4th passed without grilling, parades, or fireworks. Bastille Day, the same. It's time to celebrate somebody's nationhood, so we headed to nearby Satigny to join in the fête national Suisse. First, I spent the day bike riding, and made my very first trip to the pool for the summer. Yeah, for August and hopefully a return to warmer weather. I made aubergine and zucchini wraps with red pepper sauce for a picnic in Choully before walking to the festivities in Satigny. We arrived for soup in a commemorative dish, a speech by a local master woodsman, and the ceremonial singing of a traditional hymn. Wait, it get's better. Time to process with paper lanterns, light the 10 foot bonfire, and launch the official firework display. The festivities end with a bang- everyone and their little brother launches their own fireworks...but not in a regulated, orderly fashion as you might assume. It's a pyrotechnic free-for-all. Sure some are tiny sparklers, but some of these 8 year-olds are rivaling the official show.
Whatever nationhood you celebrated this summer, I hope you had sunshine, special treats, and fabulous fire displays. Bon Fête!
