In the village of Montesquiou, a Madeleine fair where cows are queens

Life was good in Montesquiou this Sunday July 23rd. An ideal moment to stroll through the alleys of the flea market before concluding the journey on the Garenne site. This Sunday afternoon, Gersois and Gersoise were there for the unmissable Madeleine fair.

The event that draws its genesis from the medieval period was once one of the most important fairs in the South West. Economic engine capital dedicated to the livestock trade, it returns this year in a revised guise. Because it is not held in one day now, but throughout the weekend.

For five years, regular customers have been meeting there. An opportunity to have a drink, exchange nice anecdotes from the past and discover or rediscover the protagonists of these days: the Mirandaise cows. “We are there every year, it’s important to go out, we can come and talk about anything and everything, but above all about agriculture,” says Agnès, who came with her family.

As you will have understood, terroir and tradition animate the event. “We can say it, the Madeleine fair has really become an appointment,” says Christian Lafforgue, the president of the festivities.

La Mirandaise at the forefront

Of course, everything here revolves around the Mirandaise cow. Arriving at the place, it was enough to strain one’s ears to hear the herd of about ten small animals bellowing. In the morning, the elect and the locals were able to witness an unusual spectacle: a descent of the Garenne with a draft of cattle accompanied by the music of the bands.

The animals were then exhibited to the public and were also the subject of a contest that of Miss Madelaine and Mister Matalena. Discovering the breed, developing it, but above all making it known: the stakes are raised right from the start. “This is also the heart of the fair,” explains Christian Lafforgue. And the message has arrived, even to the little ones.

Present on site, Maël, just 15 years old, wants to take over the family farm and make agriculture his job. “I came to help them this weekend with the oxen and the cows. It’s a passion, something I love. We have to preserve the Mirandaises, it’s something of our department and if the new generation doesn’t make an effort, they will disappear,” he wisely recalls.

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After 600 years of existence, the Madeleine fair has lost its luster, in question: the mechanization of operations. Mirandaise is no longer needed for mating. The cattle breed is gradually dying out, going from thousands of individuals to just 800 in the Gers. But today the fair is reborn. “We work hand in hand with the Chamber of Agriculture and other organizations to preserve the breed,” explains David Vaugon, a teacher at Mirande Agricultural School.

A demonstration of old fashioned quilting

The fair also offered the opportunity for the curious to observe the traditional crafts and agricultural machines of the past. Driven by a field marshal, the ancestor of the threshing machine was set in motion by its owner, Gilles Mounill, for a demonstration of old-fashioned striptease. It is a question here of shelling (the ears of cereals) with a threshing. “Today this heritage is disappearing, I want to keep it, my father and grandfather did it, with steam engines”, explains Gilles.

A convivial weekend therefore full of passion and transmission that recalls the values ​​dear to the heart of the Gascons.