It's Brittany week! It's what?

By Gwen Orel

That's what people asked me at the Mid Atlantic Fleadh when I was there on Friday, explaining where I would be Saturday night: the Fest Noz at Connolly's.

But the connection with the Bretons and the Irish is a natural one, says Charles Kergaravat, president of BZH NY, an organization supporting Brittany (BZH stands for Brittany, or Breizh) that he helped found in 2006.

BZH NY hosted the St. Yves Fest Noz at Connolly's on Saturday, May 20, a big blowout of Breton music and dancing, including six members from the Breton group Collectif Jeu a la Nantaise.

Members playing included Sylvain Girault, Francois Badeau, Erwan Hamon, Francois Robin, Guillaume Blain and Fred Bouley.

St. Yves Week, or Brittany Week, is currently going on, from May 19-23. Brittany, like Galicia in Northern Spain, is a Celtic region on the continent of Europe.

Located in the West part of France, it is one of the six Celtic nations.

When the Romans took over Great Britain, some people moved West to Cornwall, and then to Brittany - which is one short version of how and why Brittany is a Celtic language.

On Monday, BZh NY hosted a conference at St. Mark's Place to discuss topics surrounding the place of Loire Atlantique in Brittany today, then a Breton dance class followed by a music session.

The Feast Day (really on the 19th) is for Saint Ivo of Kermartin, a Thirteenth Century saint who is the patron of Brittany, and, according to Wikipedia, lawyers and abandoned children.

He was called the "Advocate of the Poor." Worldwide, there are 300 events going on during Brittany week.

Kergaravat was born in New York to Breton parents, and speaks French and a little Breton which he explained is a completely different language from French.

The area where the Breton language is spoken is called "Breizh-Izel," and BZH stands for Brittany.

"Breizh" is the name of the language, and 206,000 people speak it.

Kergaravat, said Charles, "is a very Breton last name," the word "Ker" being a place name.

But, as Irish is to English, Breton is to French. French is a Latin language, Breton is a Celtic language.

Breton was oppressed in Brittany by the French government, "exactly the same story as in Ireland," Kergaravat said.

About 200,000 people speak it today, but most are over 65, and it's registered as an endangered language by UNESCO. "There's a lot of work to do," he said.

There was a lot of French spoken at the Fest Noz blow-out at Connolly's on Saturday.

Kergaravat spent a lot of time in Brittany as a child in summers, and continues to go over now.

"Brittany is definitely the red-headed stepchild of Celtic nations, we even have freckles," Kergaravat said with a laugh.

He continued, "Brittany has a lot to offer. Collaboration with Celtic people is such a common thing, especially for people in New York."

Singer/fiddle player Sylvain Giraut was making his first visit to New York for the Fest Noz.

He explained that he didn't speak Breton because the region that he comes from does not really speak it.

For him Breton music seems very different from Irish and Scottish music, having more in common with old French music than with what we think of as trad. "The chord structures are not the same," he said.

Nevertheless, listeners will find some crossover.

The music of Brittany uses a Celtic harp, violin, bagpipes and accordion.

It also uses reed instruments, though, including the bombarde, a double-reed instrument a bit like the oboe, and the clarinet.

Giraut also pointed out that the Irish diaspora has spread its music around the world, which is less true for Breton music.

But he said he thinks Breton musicians are perhaps more open to new style and mixes of music than Irish musicians might be.

Still, you often find Irish and Scottish players who love the tunes and vice versa.

The Festival Interceltique de Lorient, in Lorient each summer, is a must stop for many Celtic musicians, and the Chieftains always end their concerts with a Breton snake dance.

While it's good to have fun with friends at these events, "It's even more fun to have fun with new friends," said Kergaravat, who's passionate about introducing Breton culture to a wider world.

Mixing with the Irish is a natural, because, he said, "We're all Celts, we have strong Celtic roots, and we happen to like each other when we meet each other. There are a lot of common traits that bring us together naturally. The common traits of people coming together dancing, sharing stories, playing fiddle and bagpipe... that's a strong link."

There is a Breton concert at Zebulon (258 Wythe Avenue) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Tuesday, May 22 at 8pm, and on Wednesday, May 23, there is a BZH NY and French Culture night at Novotel Skydeck (226 W. 52nd St, NY) beginning at 7pm, that will have Breton music, art and gastronomy.

For more info, visit BZH NY's website.

Gwen Orel runs the blog and podcast New York Irish Arts