Fête du Papogay

The Fête du Papogay: a medieval tradition still alive

The Fête du Papogay is one of the oldest and most picturesque traditions of Rieux-Volvestre, a small town of character nestled at the confluence of the Arize and Garonne rivers in Haute-Garonne. The Papogay (or Papeguay) refers to a wooden bird — often a parrot — placed at the top of a mast, which archers must shoot down with a bow. This tradition dates back to the Middle Ages, a time when archery companies trained this way throughout Europe. In Rieux-Volvestre, it adheres to statutes dating from 1585 and 1589, inherited from two distinct archery societies.

Three days of festivities on the first weekend of May

For three days, the medieval city transforms. Friday evening traditionally opens the festivities. Saturday is dedicated to target shooting in the morning, then to young archers in the afternoon with the Papogay shoot for the «small» and «medium» (14 and 25-meter masts). Sunday, the most spectacular day, begins with a mass in period costume accompanied by an Occitan choir and the enthronement ceremony of the new kings.

The grand royal parade and the Papogay shoot

The highlight of the festival is the grand royal parade on Sunday afternoon: nearly 450 people in medieval costume set off from Sainte-Marie Cathedral, walk through the cobbled streets of Rieux-Volvestre, then reach the shooting range at Parc des Jacobins. There, the Company's archers attempt to shoot down the wooden and iron bird (4.5 kg) perched atop the King of Papogay's mast, 45 meters high. Whoever succeeds is proclaimed «King of Papogay» for the year and symbolically reigns over Rieux-Volvestre.

The three masts and their kings

The competition takes place on three masts of different sizes: the Roitelet (14 m) intended for young archers, the Roi des Moyens (25 m), and the grand Roi du Papogay (45 m). The arrows used are handcrafted by the archers themselves, made of ash wood, with duck feathers, hemp tow, and a flat metal tip designed to strike the bird.

A living heritage celebrated and transmitted

Relaunched and structured in 1957 under the impetus of the Compagnie des archers du Papogay, the festival has become an unmissable event in the cultural life of Rieux-Volvestre and attracts several thousand visitors each year. The intermunicipal tourist office houses a museum dedicated to this tradition, with models of the three masts, a fresco, costumes, archives, and a film that tells the story of the event. The Centre Occitan des Musiques et Danses Traditionnelles (COMDT) regularly contributes to the Sunday musical entertainment.