Floral games

Floral Games were any of a series of historically related poetry contests with floral prizes. In Occitan, their original language, and Catalan they are known as Jocs florals (Catalan: [ˈʒɔks fɫuˈɾaɫs]or [ˈdʒɔks floˈɾaɫs]; modern Occitan: Jòcs florals [ˈdʒɔks fluˈɾals], or floraus [fluˈɾaws]). In French they became the Jeux floraux (French: [ʒø floʁo]), and in Basque Lore jokoak (Basque: [lo'ɾe jokoak]). The original contests may have been inspired by the Roman Floralia (Ludi Floreales) held in honour of Flora.

The original floral games of the troubadours were held by the Consistori del Gay Saber in Toulouse, annually from 1324, traditionally on 1 May. One contestant would receive the violeta d'aur, golden violet, for the poem judged the best. The second prize was a silver wild rose (eglantina), and the other prizes, awarded for particular poetic forms, were similarly floral. The first prize was awarded on 3 May 1324 to Arnaut Vidal de Castelnou d'Ari for a sirventes in praise of the Virgin Mary. The contests were held intermittently until 1484, when the last prize was awarded to Arnaut Bernart de Tarascon. From this period of 160 years survive the record of around a hundred prizes. These contests were judged in accordance with the Leys d'amor, a grammatical and literary treatise on Occitan poetry.

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