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As in the rest of France, time has not
stood still during the past 200 years. The tractor is now firmly established as
a vital tool the modern vineyard and it is rare to see a cigarette puffing,
beret-wearing peasant farmer tending his vines with a hoe these days.
Nevertheless, traditions and customs are firmly embedded in the Burundian way of
life and some of these probably date from Celtic times. With the advent of
Christianity in the 4th century, these were integrated in the religious
calendar; Like “LES TROIS GLORIEUSES” is one of Burgundy’s most famous annual
events. This festival dates from 1830 when the people celebrated the July
revolution, but over the years it has evolved to three separate wine festivals
which take pace after the grape harvest during the last week in November. On
Saturday at the Clos du Vougeot, where the order of “Chevaliers du Tastevin”
hold an extravagant meeting known as “chapitre”. This event is followed on
Sunday by an auction of the Hospice de Beaune wines. The finale, the “La Paulée”
wine festival, takes places on Monday in Meursault.
Although Burgundy is not a clearly defined geographically entity, in a
commercial sense it is a homogeneous region.
Without a doubt wine is the principal product of Burgundy with its 30,000
hectares (72,000 acres. Although this represents only a third of the area
covered for the Bordeaux wines, Burgundy wines have a worldwide reputation. But
is not only quality that counts: skilful marketing has also played an important
part.Of the 120 million bottles sold annually, a good half of them go to other
European countries and to the USA.
Agriculture, too, is very important with most of the available land given over
to arable farming. As far as livestock is concerned, , the Charolais cattle are
the pride of the local farmers, while the Bresse poultry, bred in the south of
the region, have the rare distinction of carrying an “appellation controlee”; In
the west the Morvan has its own industry, mostly related to forestry, including
sawmills, production of charcoal and quality furniture.
The 5,000 industrial concerns in Burgundy employ just under 150,000 people—a
quarter of the working population. In addition to the motor industry,
electronics and the manufacture of electrical components, many firms are
involved in precision engineering and metal processing. In recent decades, a
number of industrial centers have undergone drastic change. The closing of coal
mines in the Le Creusot region, for exemple has led to serious economic decline
and job losses. During the early 1990’s the unemployment rate for the region
varied between 11 and 12 percent, but these are official figures and they
probably conceal the true number of people who have been affected by the
structural changes. |
