Every year in June, Beaucaire celebrates the ancestral myth of the Drac.
Three days of festivities that take place at the end of June and are one of the oldest manifestations of Beaucaire.
According to medieval legend, which began around 1250, the Drac, a monster half devil half dragon, hidden in the abyss of the Rhone, changes shape according to circumstances.
The Drac is invisible to human eyes.
The Drac, a monster...
An aquatic dragon with sharp claws, it loved human flesh, children's flesh being its favorite and nothing could satisfy its hunger. The creature was very deceitful, not only attacking children. Endowed with some magical gifts, the Drac could create illusions to attract its victims. He would make fake stones appear to be gold or precious stones to lure children into the water. As soon as they approached them, he would appear from the bottom of the river to devour them. But his attacks did not stop on the banks of the Rhone, for he could make himself invisible as well in order to capture children in the city.
One day, he kidnapped a washerwoman and took her under the water to raise her son and smear him daily with a special ointment so that the little dragon would also be invisible to humans.
After seven years, the washerwoman left with a strange power: the power to see the Drac with one of her eyes.
One day on her way to the market, she recognized the monster.
Discovered, he gouged out her guilty eye.
To celebrate this legend, a parade and medieval animations are organized during three days in the four corners of the city.
Accompanied by many children armed with lanterns, the procession travels throughout the city and concerts are held in the evening.
The statue of Drac can be seen on the Place de la République, known as Place Vieille in the historic center of Beaucaire.
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