Se Canta


"Se Canta", also known as "Se Chanta" or "Aqueras Montanhas", is an anthem associated with Occitania. It is also a very old popular song, known all over Occitania. According to legend, it was written by Gaston III Fébus, Count of Foix and Béarn.
Since 1993, it has an official status in Aran Valley with the title Montanhes Araneses. It has been the official anthem of Toulouse FC since August 6, 2010.
It is also popular in the High Aragon with the name of Aqueras montanyas or Aqueras montañas, sung in Aragonese, with similar lyrics. It was compiled by the Aragonese group Biella Nuei and later sung, among others, by the singer-songwriter José Antonio Labordeta.
Se Canta is often regarded as the unofficial anthem of all Occitania and most people living in that region know the words to the first verse and chorus even if they are not native Occitan speakers themselves.
Notable occasions on which it has been sung include the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin on 10 February 2006, and in the French National Assembly on 3 June 2003.
Se Canta was commercially covered by a number of singers and bands, among which are Lou Dalfin, Patric, André Dassary, Charé Moulâ, Calabrun, Jean-Bernard Plantevin, Coriandre, Tòni de l'Ostal, Biella Nuei, Crestian Almergue e lo Grop Tèst, Corrou de Berra and Dorothée.

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song are in the Occitan language. Lo Panoccinari, the most comprehensive Occitan dictionary, documents one hundred and fifty-six versions of Se Canta from Languedoc, Provence, Auvergne, Gascony, and Limousin. On 9 February 2002, the almond tree near the Nîmes fountain that is mentioned in several verses was replanted after its famous predecessor died. Although most texts are linked to the original Febusian poem, not all are: the shepherd and wedding versions, for instance, have different themes despite a common tune. Between brackets are the odd extra verses that can be heard but are not part of the regular lyrics. The lyrics are the 2nd oldest for an anthem of a country or cultural region: only the Kimigayo, the national anthem of Japan, has older lyrics; the third oldest is the anthem of the Netherlands, Wilhelmus.