“Pardons” are Breton religious ceremonies and Pilgrimages. These Pardons have been called the last vestiges of the “Feast of the Dead.“ The faithful go on a pilgrimage to either the tomb of a Saint or a place dedicated to a Saint, sometimes associated with miraculous appearances or holy relics of saints. There are five major “Pardons” (Pardon of the Poor, Pardon of the Singers, Pardon of Fire, Pardon of the Mountain, Pardon of the Sea) taking place between Easter and Michaelmas. Penitents often travel in groups to the site of the pardon, saying the rosary and praying. After confession and Mass, a procession is formed, usually to go around the church. Feasts, bonfires and other social events take place afterward. In the old days a peculiar phenomenon was often noted: during the religious fervor, some of the women attending would start barking like dogs. An old story attributes the barking women to the fact that during one of the Pardons the Virgin appeared as a beggar to a group of women, asking for a drink of water. When refused, the “beggar” cursed all the women and their descendents to be affected with religious mania. Because of the importance of the Pardons, there are many old stories concerning the rituals. One is a great early “Groundhog Day” story of a man who was cursed to relive the same journey to the same church every day over and over again for seven years. (“The Penitent of Rumengol“).
Procession across Fields during La Tromenie Pilgrimage, Brittany
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