Revelry Under the Full Harvest Moon

Antraigues usually looks peaceful, but this weekend the village came alive for the annual Ardèche chestnut festival, drawing people from across the mountains."

Crisp autumn air and the scent of woodsmoke greeted us as we walked out from our townhouse and into the square just as the festivities were beginning. 

Villagers mingled, voices rising in laughter as they awaited the evening's revelries.

Tables were loaded with honeyed figs, freshly cooked chestnuts, soft cheeses and crusty bread. 

The rich aroma of roasted meats drifted from fires crackling nearby, while children scampered about, their joyful shrieks echoing off the stonewalls.

As darkness fell, the festival really got going 

Everybody clustered together, clinking glasses of chestnut beer and warming spiced wine. 

At long tables, families shared platters piled high with food.

A makeshift stage was set up for musicians tuning their fiddles and accordions.

Toddlers sat perched on shoulders to get a better view of their performance, and eventually, couples began whirling across the square, dancing to the upbeat melodies of a local band, strangely mostly playing zydeco music. 

For a few hours, the troubles of the wider world seemed to slip away within this small community. 

Tonight was about togetherness, about marking the end of the harvest season and the transition from autumn to winter, while, above us, the full moon, popping out from behind the clouds, was dimmed by the shadow of a partial lunar eclipse.

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Now, crisp nights and bare branches may lay ahead for the viłlagers, but for Rita and me, so too will enduring warmth and fellowship, as we tomorrow pack our stuff and leave for Denmark.

Before long we will be back with family and friends. After seven months away, that thought feels both strange and wonderful.