The inhabitants of the village of Olley, 230 inhabitants in Meurthe-et-Moselle, have chosen a gentile, and they have given priority to tradition over a more ordinary appellation. They will henceforth be called the “Burnt Asses”.
“There were 89 voters: 42 votes for the Culs brûlés, and 25 votes for the second proposal, the Olleysiens, more classic,” the mayor of the town, David Buono, told AFP on Sunday. “The vote shows that the residents wanted to keep this nickname and make it official, we are very happy,” he added.
According to the mayor, this name “Culs brûlés” comes from a centuries-old tradition. “There are two hypotheses: that of the village producing oil in the Middle Ages, poor quality oil which blackened the bottom of the lamps,” explains David Buono, citing the work of Kévin Goeuriot, historian of Lorraine. “Or it could be linked to the Swedish invasions: the region suffered quite a few invasions, and the Swedes burned everything in their path.”
The consultation, open to all residents aged 10 and over, was organized over several days and proposed eight terms to designate the inhabitants of the village, including “Olleyon”, “Olleumien” or “Olleyjoie”. Other proposals such as “Olley hands” or “Olley hearts” were not accepted.
This gentile must now be officially adopted by the municipal council, and the deliberation will be transmitted to the prefecture.
“I believe that there is a commission which must validate the thing, so that we do not call ourselves any name, but I think that it will be a formality”, anticipates David Buono. “This nickname is historic, it is at least 500 years old, if not 1,000 years old, I don’t see why we would be challenged.”
According to the mayor, “around 1,000 municipalities in France do not have a gentilé”.
