Dunkerque has a different idea of catching your supper. During its carnival, the procession stops at the town hall and the mayor and guests throw wrapped herring into the crowd. Landing a kipper is a prize in its own right: the local tourism office describes the catch as almost more important than eating it.[1]
The broader celebration draws on the port’s seafaring past. Before long cod-fishing voyages to Iceland, shipowners held send-off parties for their crews. Those gatherings became entangled with the festivities before Lent. The fish toss belongs to a later chapter; it should not be mistaken for an unchanged ritual from the earliest voyages.[1]
Now for the wonderfully local wrinkle: the same tourism account records dried fish being thrown in Rosendaël and Saint-Pol-sur-Mer, but cheese in Bergues. In Malo-les-Bains, violets are distributed. Move only a little way along this stretch of coast and the carnival’s calling card changes.[1]