Veillées de Puisaye

Les Veillées de Puisaye, guardian of living heritage in Puisaye

In the heart of Puisaye, this land of bocage, ponds, and forests straddling the Yonne and Loiret departments, the village of Champignelles (89350) hosts a charming cultural tradition: the Veillées de Puisaye. These intimate evenings perpetuate the spirit of old peasant vigils, those moments of community gathering around the fire where people would warm themselves, sing, tell stories, and laugh together.

The tradition of vigils, a living oral heritage

Before the advent of electricity and modern media, the vigil was at the heart of rural social life. Families and neighbors would gather in the evening to share the long winter hours by working with their hands, singing traditional tunes, exchanging news, and telling stories. Puisaye has preserved this oral memory with particular richness, notably thanks to the Poyaudin dialect, this local dialect tinged with humor and peasant wisdom, which Colette drew upon extensively in her work.

Music, songs, and funny stories

The Veillées de Puisaye in Champignelles feature:

• Folk and traditional music: violin, accordion, hurdy-gurdy, musette bagpipes… the instruments of Burgundian and Berrichonne popular tradition resonate in the Salle des Perriaux.
• Songs of the region: call-and-response songs, lullabies, laments, and rounds that made up the daily repertoire of village communities.
• Tales and funny stories from Poyaudine: facetious narratives, local legends, savory anecdotes about the customs and character of the people of Puisaye. This oral heritage, often imbued with humor and tenderness for rural life, is passed down by passionate storytellers.

Champignelles, a living territory of Puisaye

Champignelles is a rural commune in the Yonne department, nestled in the Puisaye-Forterre region, one of Burgundy's most preserved natural areas. The bocage, fishing ponds, ancient forests, and red and blue stone architecture give this land a strong identity. The village is also close to Saint-Fargeau, famous for its castle and its nightly historical show that attracts thousands of visitors each summer.

The venue: Les Perriaux

The vigils are held at Les Perriaux, on the road to Châtillon-Coligny in Champignelles. This community venue is at the heart of local cultural dynamics. The hall hosts participants in these evenings in an intimate and warm atmosphere, with no more than a few dozen people – it is precisely this intimacy that gives the Veillées de Puisaye all its charm.

Active public participation

Les Veillées de Puisaye are not mere performances: the public is invited to participate, to join in the choruses, to react to the stories, to ask questions of the storytellers. This participatory and horizontal dimension distinguishes these evenings from a classic concert or show and gives them a unique vitality. These are moments of living transmission, where knowledge and memories naturally pass from the elders to the younger ones in joy and good humor.