Kazaah
The Grand Prix de la Saint-Louis is a water jousting competition following the Languedoc method (part of the French intangible cultural heritage)
, held annually in Sète since 1743. The first water jousts in Sète date back to July 29, 1666, on the occasion of the inauguration of the port.
The 278th edition of this event took place from August 18 to 23, 2022.
In fact, it was the mayor of Sète, Emile Doumet, who took the initiative in 1853 to give some splendor to this local celebration in response to the creation of the railway line from Sète to Toulouse and the influx of outsiders who came to witness the Sunday jousting tournament.
But it was at the beginning of the 20th century that the festival took on its full scale and was enriched with nautical parades, concerts, bicycle races, and the first swims across Sète,
while epic jousting battles took place on the Royal Canal in front of thousands of spectators.
The Saint-Louis jousting tournament is the most important competition in its discipline, serving as a kind of unofficial world championship.
It takes place at the end of August along the Royal Canal over six days.
Each year, the winner receives a shield decorated by an artist from the region, selected after a competition.
The festival now takes place over six or seven days.
Until Sunday, the local tournaments of the festival are held. On Saint-Louis Monday, the regional heavyweight tournament and the presentation of the shield take place. Saint-Louis Monday is a public holiday in Sète.
In 1745, Louis XV attended the jousting tournament.
The legend says, in 1749, that
Barthélémy-Louis Aubenque, known as "the Terrible" unable to find opponents of his caliber, jousted against a bridge.
Sources : https://fr-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Grand_Prix_de_la_Saint-Louis?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=wapp
https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Media/Thematiques/Patrimoine-culturel-immateriel/Files/Fiches-inventaire-du-PCI/Les-joutes-languedociennes