Origins of the game
Pétanque is generally recognised to have started at La Ciotat, Provence, in 1907. Below is a translation of a testament written by Ernest PITIOT for the French Federation, explaining exactly how the game started.
"It was in 1910 at LA CIOTAT, Bouches du Rhône, at the Béraud boules terrain that I used to run with my brother, that the game of pétanque was born.
All the great Jeu Provençal players of the region used to meet under the large plane trees at Béraud: from Marseille GRAND-JEAN, le BLOND, LOMBARD nickname le NOIR, PETIT-PAUL; from Toulouse, le GRELE, le PICE, CHIBALON, le MOULT, the brothers ESPANET de la GARDE; from CIOTAT PINOT, big CESAIRE, SAINT JEAN, etc. All the top players used to play le Jeu Provençal for money every day with several shopkeepers from the town, games that used to attract a large number of spectators – who were allowed… for 5 centimes, to take a chair to follow the games but far too often they would stop the boules that were shot, for being seated they couldn’t get up fast enough.
We therefore took away the chairs to keep the players happy who, quite rightly, used to complain.
This decision was against the wishes of a good customer and friend “JULES le NOIR”, a shopkeeper at LA CIOTAT who, crippled by rheumatism, could no longer hardly stand on his legs. Exceptionally, we granted him permission to have a chair on the condition that he would carefully keep to the side of the circle drawn on the ground before the jack was thrown and where the players regularly used to leave their boules while waiting their turn.
And from there, our JULES who could no longer participate in any game, used to amuse himself shooting at 1.5 or 2 metres with the boules left by the circle. “I’m practising” he used to say to me. Very well one day, certain of pleasing him, I offered to play with him, without moving, “feet together” from 2 to 3 metres… and we played.
The next day we started again just like the following days. The old players, who numbered quite a few, watched how we played, well enough that my brother organised a competition for the following Saturday. There were 8 teams of 2 players with a first prize of 10F.
"Pétanque" was born...
Subsequent competitions were successful and we played from 3 to 5 metres.
The game spread throughout the region, but thanks to numerous sailors, to builders from LA CIOTAT, that it took a rapid hold, because these sailors used to play "Pétanque" in all the ports where they used to stop over.
The game that was known casually as "feet together", "feet fixed" or "Pétanque" finally became "Pétanque”" during the preparation of the official rules by the LANGUEDOC-ROUSILLON Federation of which I’m one of the founder members and President for several years."
E. PITIOT, With all my thanks to the Council at La Ciotat.
Signed: E. Pitiot
Copy of original text kindly supplied by the Fédération Française de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal. English translation © A Lot of Gaul.
Translator’s Note: Pétanque is derived from the Provençal Peds Tanco (Pieds Tanqués in French) meaning "feet together" or "feet fixed". It is important to remember that the game at the time – and still played – in Provence was le Jeu Provençal or la longue "the long game". Played from 15 to 21m, pointers keep one foot in the circle but stretch forward to balance on the other foot to play, shooters take three long running steps and shoot on the third step. Shooting à la rafle (rolling the boule along the ground) is not allowed in le Jeu Provençal – the boule must land within 1m of the target.
How to play
The game, on the face of it, is quite simple - get more boules closer to the jack that your opponents.
In practice, it is much more involved than this! The beauty of the game is that it provides a perfect blend of skill and luck, allowing players of all levels to enjoy a game together. If you miss a crucial shot, it's just as likely to be because of a small pebble in the line of your boule, or a "bad bounce" - not because you're a bad player: sometimes a bad shot can be put down to just bad luck! But of course, when you hear the satisfying "clack" of boule-on-boule, it can only be because your skills are improving as a shooter....
Petanque can be played in singles (head-to-head) where each player has three boules each.
It can also be played as a game of doubles (two teams of two players, each player with three boules giving team having six boules each). Petanque is particularly enjoyable as a team game, of three players, each with two boules each (again, giving each team six boules).
Regional variations on this exist (in rural Mayenne, it is common for four-player teams, with each player taking three boules: at the end of each game, there are up to 24 boules on the terrain at any one time!)
