VICTORIA, Seychelles — The traditional batenm poupet ceremony once again drew a large crowd of young and old on Saturday at Domaine de Val des Pres, Au Cap, as the Seychelles Heritage Foundation organised the event as part of the activities of the Festival Kreol. The ceremony aims to celebrate a long-standing tradition and at the same time pass on the knowledge to a new generation.
It was Père Davis Mathiot who performed the baptismal ceremony, baptising more than twenty dolls, including the principal doll, ‘Patricia’, aged more than 30, who was accompanied by her mother, father, godfather and godmother. The event began with a procession in the courtyard of Domaine de Val des Pres, where children and adults paraded with their dolls and sang traditional songs.
Heritage education and information officer Miriam Cesar explained that the custom started in 2019 but was interrupted the following year by the COVID pandemic and resumed in 2022 after a two-year pause. ‘Batenm poupet started a long time ago when neighbours would gather together. The reason for doing it is to keep this custom alive. We have decided to share this knowledge with our children and especially adults who don’t know. We want to make girls learn that, while they are still small, if something happens to their parents, there is someone behind them who will take care of them. It also becomes knowledge for the children,’ she said.
Celine Hoareau, mother of the principal doll ‘Patricia’, said that even though there was a good atmosphere, the celebration was not quite the same as in the past, when many more activities were linked to it. The activity ran into the afternoon and also included dancing, food and refreshments.
