In almost all villages and hamlets in Brittany, once a year, there is a celebration called "Le Pardon", which litterally means "The Forgiveness" : to ask for the forgiveness of God and to give forgiveness to the others. Our Pardon is on the second Sunday of July.
Over that week-end, we have numerous social activities that bring all the village habitants together : we walk 6 km together across the village, we dance the traditional dances from Brittany, we have a large meal together and we play traditional games. Everyone tries to participate to the activities and to volunteer in the organization according to his/her abilities. This is not a show for tourists, we do it really for ourselves.
There is a religious component to the Pardon on Sunday morning, that is quite pictorial because some inhabitants make a point to wear the traditional dress from this area of Brittany. The picture shows the blessing of the village's children outside the church.
This is similar to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur or Day of Atonement. I think even non-believers can benefit from a day to ask and give forgiveness.
