Fête des Vignerons, short History of a Great Festival
14 June 2019
The Fête des Vignerons (Unesco World Heritage) is a tradition handed down from generation to generation since the 18th century in Vevey (canton of Vaud), in a region stretching from Pully to Lavey near Valais.
Le Ranz des vaches. Picture: Musée de la Confrérie des Vignerons
Vevey’s income in the eighteenth century came largely from wine-growing and trade. Vineyards surrounded the city, and the rhythm of the seasons and the wine calendar determined city life.
The Confrérie des Vignerons (the Brotherhood of Winegrowers) called itself ‘Abbaye de l’agriculture’. The Brotherhood organized an annual parade. It was a cheerful parade of the winegrowers and their employees.
The parade ended at the General Assembly of the Brotherhood’s Council (le Conseil), where their work was commented upon.
The Brotherhood decided in 1780 to reward the best winegrowers and their workers.
They marched in front of the parade, accompanied by the Abbé-Président (the ‘Ab-President’), the members of the Council (le Conseil), and a large number of musicians, singers, and costumed figures who symbolised mythical figures and viticulture.
The quality of the parades and the number of spectators increased, and in 1797, a platform was established on the city’s Market Square.
The Fête des Vignerons was born. The book Helvétie 1800-1819 (Paris 2010) by Maurice Denuzière gives a good picture of this period in Vevey and Vaud.
The Napoleonic period, the creation of the canton of Vaud, and political and economic difficulties did not stop the festival’s development after 1813. A new festival was organized in 1819.
The parade became a real show. The 1865 arena hosted 10,000 spectators, and the music, theatre, choreography, and costumes quality constantly improved.
More than 200 years after its first construction, the present-day stadium has 16,000 seats and can accommodate 5,000 actors and 1,000 musicians.
(Source and further information: Musée de la Confrérie des Vignerons; G. Favrod, S. Carruzzo, Du cep à l’arène, petite histoire d’une grande Fête’ , dans Fête des Vignerons 2019. Une Envie de Fête, No. 1, Vevey, 2018; www.fdv2019.ch).