Three Black Bears

     friends that got attacked (above) bear attack (below) 

A week ago, A friend told me about this curious festival happening in a village close by. It was called la fete de l'ours ( the festival of the bear). She told me people get in bear costumes and they have a parade and a ball. I thought it sounded interesting. I talked with some other people about it. I was told there was a chasse! (hunt). A hunt? I thought, who are they kidding! 

I went to this little village called Prats Le Mollo in the mountains today and they were not kidding at all! It was by far the craziest festival I've ever seen! Let me give you the gist of what I saw: There are three black bears. They're bad bears. They come down the mountain and paint peoples faces black. Their minions sing, chant, shoot their guns and help find the victims. They go around town painting faces till the people in white come in. These guys come in with band baaja and chain the bad bears up. Then they shear them. Shave all their hair off and suddenly, the bears are all civilised and dancing with everyone. Everyone gets happy and goes to the bar close by!  

I have no idea how this festival started. I don't even know if I should call it a festival. It was madness! People running everywhere and singing loudly! The bears literally taking people down and greasing them all over! Girls screaming, kids bursting crackers. The bears kept going for the people who were well dressed! If you were wearing white, you were a goner. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I was wearing dark blue and black, so I didn't get bear-handled but some of the others I went with weren't so lucky! All in all, we had a bears day out. 

In the end, we went to a bar and danced to YMCA of all songs! I couldn't believe I was in a small pub in a small town dancing to that song! The thing that really got me dancing was the pear alcohol we gulped from some black-faced village guys' pouch-thing!