Students first learned to use Gascon greetings, “adichats”, “adéou”, and how to introduce themselves, “you que’m apéri (first name)”. The theme for these sessions was the lifestyle of villagers in Mont-de-Marsan, “lou Moun”, around 1770. At that time, residents had no choice but to get rid of all kinds of waste in the streets. “La bile qu’ère tan cascante e pudénte”.
Authorities wanted to change this habit to better welcome visitors. Thus, a “règlement de police dou Moun en 1770” was established. Discovered in the Moun archives by Jean Candau, secretary general from 1943 to 1963. Thanks to the “goarde” aided by a drum, students became aware of the content of this regulation, centralized for better understanding. They will undoubtedly remember the word “défendut” as it was repeated, but also “la houn, un asou, un chibaou, les mousques caguilhes”.
The absence of the “fone” presented a problem. When asked if they would like to return to that time, students answered no, citing hygiene and the lack of the “fone” in particular. They had the privilege of discovering the “mounaques or espaubén” (scarecrows) prepared for the handing over of the Gascon language relay, the Passem, scheduled for May 8 between 9 and 12 hours in the municipalities of Audignon, Horsarrieu, Hagetmau, and Saint-Cricq-Chalosse for an arrival, after 2,000 kilometers, in Anglet on Saturday, May 9.
