In search of the Chaindon Fair

The Chaindon Fair is an integral part of life in the Tavannes Valley and surrounding area. Every year, on the first Monday in September, it brings together young and old, farmers, breeders, and those who merely come to browse. The fair is several centuries old and has featured on Switzerland’s list of living traditions since 2017.

In the Swiss Jura’s Franches-Montagnes region, it is said that the year is divided into two parts: before and after the horse market and competition held in Saignelégier in August. We might say the same about the Chaindon Fair in the Tavannes Valley given its importance to local life.

Origins

Referred to locally as ‘Foire d’Chaindon’ or simply ‘Chaindon’, this livestock fair used to take place several times a year, in May, September and November, with the frequency varying over the centuries. Nowadays, only the September edition survives. The earliest evidence of these markets dates back to the 17th century, although they are thought to be much older. The region also had other important markets, but only the one in Chaindon still features this tradition.

These fairs, which were famous well beyond the region, were held in Chaindon, a hamlet situated between Reconvilier and Tavannes. It has now disappeared and only the church remains. As the village of Reconvilier grew, the fair gradually moved there.

A local (and lucrative) event

Over several days, the village of Reconvilier with 2,500 inhabitants welcomes almost 50,000 visitors. The event has long set the tempo of local life. This is shown, for example, in a 1960s edition of “Tous”, the company newsletter of the Boillat foundry, a former industrial flagship in the town. The newsletter features advertisements relating to the fair, one of which is for cheesecake sellers with “solid vocal chords a must”. This is because cheesecake (gâteau au fromage) is traditionally sold in the streets by local children chanting “Gâteau au fromage, tout chaud, tout bouillant, Chäschüeche!” (“Cheesecake, piping hot, come and get your Chäschüeche!”).

As linchpins of the event, municipal staff, police and rail workers are in a state of readiness before, during and after the fair, as evidenced by an interview with the mayor Henri-Louis Favre in the “Journal du Jura” in 1968. Installing the stand holders, arranging parking (1,300 vehicles for the 1967 event!) and welcoming special trains carrying horses and bovidae all the way to Reconvilier requires coordination and organisation. Local businesses also have an important part to play, setting up refreshment areas and food stalls to serve their specialities to the public. The event finances a significant part of their budget.

From the heyday to the post-COVID era

A man trots a horse in hand next to a group of men. — A buyer and seller shaking on a deal at the Chaindon Fair, 1942 (Alfred Graber estate, Swiss Literary Archives, NL)

According to Charles-André Tièche in his publication “L’Hôtâ”, the market reached its peak in 1944, with 3,100 horses and 200 bovidae. This is all the more impressive considering that Switzerland was still mobilised at the time. It just goes to show that the fair was an unmissable event for horse dealers, breeders and farmers, who went there to buy and sell their livestock. The photographs by Alfred Graber, which are held in the National Library’s Swiss Literary Archives immortalise the negotiations of 1942, when it was customary to shake on a deal. Mechanisation gradually reduced the presence of livestock to make way for agricultural machinery. In 1984, only 300 horses and 600 bovidae were presented on the showground. In 2023, there were around 60 horses and about 80 cattle.

Despite everything, the Chaindon Fair has managed to retain its appeal. The reaction to the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 editions due to COVID is a good gauge of the level of public enthusiasm for the event. But while the public and stallholders keep coming, there are fewer and fewer livestock and small animals presented at the fair. This is due to ever more stringent veterinary and administrative requirements, and an increase in online sales (a legacy of COVID), as reported in the “Journal du Jura” at the end of the 2022 edition.

With its rich heritage and ability to adapt to changing times, there’s every reason to believe that the Chaindon Fair will rise to the challenges of the future, continuing to reinvent itself and thrive, thereby carrying on a centuries-old tradition.

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In search of the Chaindon Fair

Origins

A local (and lucrative) event

From the heyday to the post-COVID era

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