A Celtic Christmas: Bagpipes, Lanterns and Sprinting Santas

Have you ever wanted to experience a scene from a film?

I love the moment in Tangled when Rapunzel arrives in the kingdom, dances to folk music and lights a lantern.

My dream came true yesterday in Lannion.

I heard that Santa was in town and as I am full of Christmas cheer, I went to find him. I did not realise that Santa's possy would be a Breton bagpipe marching band!

To celebrate Christmas, the whole town was given a lantern and a free cup of mulled wine or hot chocolate. Fuelled with hot beverages and festive cheer, we marched through the medieval streets, clutching our lanterns and following the sound of the bagpipes. It felt so special to be part of a tradition so different from my own.

The festivities did not end there. The next morning, I got up bright and early to watch the Trail Urban - a 5km fun run. I loved seeing so many runners dressed as Father Christmas. They had to run up some very steep steps which lead to a church on top of a hill. There was such a Christmassy atmosphere as one hundred Santas were running madly while the church bells were ringing. I was so impressed with the runners as I would definitely have passed out! To warm up after a frosty morning, both runners and spectators tucked into steaming chocolate crêpes. What a lovely way to end my first Celtic Christmas!

My friend also wrote a post about Lannion's festivities so please do check it out.

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