Black Wheat Threshing Festival

The Black Wheat Threshing Festival: A Journey into Rural Traditions

Every year, on the last Sunday of September, the "Clément Besombes" Museum-Conservatory of Rural Traditions in Mauriac opens its doors wide for the Black Wheat Threshing Festival. This festive and friendly event celebrates an ancestral know-how: the threshing of buckwheat, called "blé noir" in the Auvergne countryside, a cereal that long formed the basis of peasant food in Cantal.

A Living Museum Dedicated to Peasant Traditions

The Museum-Conservatory of Rural Traditions, housed in an old farmhouse on the road to Pleaux, recreates the daily life of the Cantal countryside in the 1950s. Collections of agricultural tools, kitchen utensils, traditional furniture, costumes, and everyday objects bear witness to a now-disappeared rural world. The museum, run by passionate volunteers, strives to pass on the memory of these traditions to younger generations.

Buckwheat Threshing: A Spectacular Demonstration

The highlight of the day takes place in the afternoon, starting at 2 PM. Museum volunteers demonstrate black wheat threshing using traditional methods: hand threshing with flails and old-fashioned mechanical threshing with a thresher. These precise movements, passed down from generation to generation, allow the buckwheat grains to be separated from their husks. The harvested buckwheat was once used to prepare bourriols, those thick cakes typical of Haute-Auvergne, and pompes grasses, traditional Cantal crepes.

Old Tractors and Period Machinery

The festival is also an opportunity to admire an exhibition of old tractors and agricultural machinery from yesteryear. These machines, carefully restored by passionate collectors, bear witness to the evolution of agricultural practices over the decades. Demonstrations of old-fashioned wood sawing complete the picture of this day dedicated to rural know-how.

Conviviality and Delicacies

Throughout the day, a refreshment stand offers drinks and local specialties. Visitors can enjoy bourriols and pompes grasses, prepared on-site according to traditional recipes, for a complete taste immersion into the culinary heritage of Cantal. The warm and family-friendly atmosphere of this festival makes it a popular event for the inhabitants of the Pays de Mauriac and passing tourists.

A Free Event Open to All

Admission to the Black Wheat Threshing Festival is completely free. The museum opens at 10 AM, and threshing demonstrations begin at 2 PM. It's an ideal family outing to discover the rural heritage of Cantal in an authentic and preserved setting.