“Te Counaissi” - it looks and sounds familiar, and yet..... If you happen to be in Languedoc between January and the
two weeks before Easter, and you're passing through the town of Limoux, it could well be an expression you hear. It's the tease or taunt spoken by the masked Pierrots taking part in the region's famous Carnival; and it's your cue to engage the Pierrot in some banter ! Te counnaissi is Occitan - it means, I know or I recognise you, and unlike many other pageants, in Limoux, those who go to watch, also have the chance to participate! Be warned though, they're fond of showering you in confetti!We all know the French love a party, and the Carnival of Limoux is a party of pretty extraordinary calibre. Thought to have its roots in the Middle Ages, not even the dark days of the French Revolution could halt proceedings, and it remains the longest running 'fete' in France.
