A Linxe, circuit du Moulin de Binaou

The unmasking is carried out between the beginning of June and the end of August. This is the extraction of the cork and this operation requires the intervention of a qualified workforce so as not to injure the tree concerned, the cork oak. Every twenty years, the so-called "male" cork is extracted, which can only be used for decoration. It is only about ten years later that the reproductive layer, the "female" layer, can be used for the manufacture of high-quality corks or decorations. The cork oak is as present as the maritime pine in the Marensin, and has suffered from economic discrimination: it was much less profitable than the pine. However, it is not lacking in ecological qualities: a habitat for nocturnal birds of prey, attractive to fauna and flora... It could even be used as a firebreak! It is a natural thermal insulator.

In the past, in Linxe as elsewhere, many families owned one or more pigs. A substantial resource, the pig is also a fragile animal that requires care, especially a few months after weaning. Pig consortia (but there were also consortia for cows) made it possible to pool financial resources to meet these expenses. Each member contributed according to the number of pigs declared, veterinary expenses and losses, which were reimbursed to the owners. A few clever people took advantage of this by declaring only one or two pigs. The representatives of this species often resembled each other, so if one of their pigs died, it was of course that one! To avoid this abuse, the pigs concerned were marked with the letter "L" for Linxe.

At the bend in a street or a path, you sometimes come across trees that are a little different from the others. Covered with garlands, tied with flowers, the May tree (or maiade) is erected in honour of a neighbour, a friend, an elected official, a district... It is stripped of its branches and carried, sometimes during the day followed by a tumultuous procession, sometimes at night escorted in a hullabaloo of excited whispers. Three wreaths traditionally decorate these trees, which grow each spring. Everyone participates in the decoration of the tree, especially the children, who are the bearers, if not of the tree, of the tradition that accompanies it for future generations.