THE PROVENÇAL VILLAGE
The Washerwoman
Kneeling at the water’s edge, paddle in hand. Unlike the ravi, the boumian or Pistachié, she has no part in the Christmas plays: you won’t find her in any pastorale cast list. That’s what makes her interesting. She comes from the other group of santons, the village trades, which is the older of the two.
What you see
A woman kneeling or bent over a washing trough, a tub or a slanted stone, paddle in hand, with a basket of laundry beside her. Some workshops show her standing, laundry on her hip, coming back from the water.
She’s a working santon, not part of the procession. She doesn’t look at the stable and brings nothing. She’s busy.
Absent from the theater, and why
The village characters are often said to come from the pastorales. For her, that’s simply not true, and easy to check: she isn’t in any of the cast lists. The cast lists name the blind man, the boumian, the miller and his dog Pimpara, the knife grinder, Jiget, Pistachié, Roustido, Jourdan, Margarido and Benvengu. No washerwoman. She has no lines, no name and no story.
So if you read about “the washerwoman of the pastorale” and her story somewhere, be skeptical. As far as we know, there’s no legend attached to her, which makes sense, since that’s not where she comes from.
The layer of trades
The cast of santons came together in two stages, and the washerwoman belongs to the first.
France’s official heritage inventory, written by ethnologist Antonin Chabert and filed with the Ministry of Culture in 2021, notes that Jean-Louis Lagnel (1764–1822) introduced clay and mass molding, and that 19th-century santon makers based their characters on everyday trades. Lagnel is said to have used his own neighbors as models.
The traditional list of trade santons keeps their Provençal names: lou pescadou (the fisherman), la peissouniero (the fishwife), lou pourtarié d’aigo (the water carrier), lou bouscatié (the woodcutter), la jardiniero (the gardener), la masièro (the farm wife), lou móunié (the miller), lou boulangié (the baker), lou banastaire (the basket maker), l’estamaire (the tinsmith), l’amoulaire (the knife grinder) and la bugadiero (the washerwoman).
These trade figures are about forty years older than Maurel’s play, published in 1844. So by the time the theater came along, the washerwoman had long been part of the nativity.
Bugadiero or lavandiero
In santon lists, she’s called la bugadiero: the woman who does the bugado, the big household wash done with wood ash once or twice a year, when everyone pitched in.
You’ll also see lavandiero. Some say the bugadiero washes her own family’s laundry, while the lavandiero washes other people’s for pay. That sounds plausible, but we haven’t been able to confirm it in Mistral’s Trésor dóu Felibrige, the dictionary that would settle it, so take it with a grain of salt.
Where to place her in the nativity
At the water’s edge, facing it. That’s the one firm rule: a washerwoman far from the water makes no sense.
She’s the reason for the fountain. That’s her real job in your scene. A basin, washhouse or fountain with no one using it is just a prop. With her there, it becomes the reason the village is there. If you build a water feature, build it to her scale. See the fountain.
Keep her out of the procession. She’s busy and staying put. That contrast (some people walking, others working) is what keeps a nativity from looking like a checkout line. See arrangement.
Frequently asked questions
Is the washerwoman a character in the pastorale?
No. She isn’t in any of the usual cast lists, including Maurel’s. She has no lines, no story and no name. She belongs to the village trades, which santon makers modeled on real village life.
Is it lavandière or bugadiero?
In Provençal, the bugadiero is the woman who does the bugado, the big household wash. That’s the name used in lists of trade santons. You’ll also see lavandiero. Some say the bugadiero does her own laundry while the lavandiero does other people’s, but we haven’t found a solid source for that.
Why is the washerwoman important in a nativity?
For practical reasons as much as for the story: she gives your water feature a purpose. A fountain or washhouse with no one using it is just scenery. The washerwoman puts it to use, and helps explain why the village is there.
Where do you place the washerwoman?
At the water’s edge, of course, facing the water. Kneeling at a trough or tub, with the laundry basket within reach. She stays put and isn’t part of the procession: she’s busy, and that’s what makes the rest of the scene feel alive.
What are the other trade santons?
The fisherman, the fishwife, the water carrier, the woodcutter, the gardener, the farm wife, the miller, the baker, the basket maker, the tinsmith and the knife grinder. And the list keeps growing: a santon maker can create any trade.