The Bitard is a fabulous animal that is the symbol of the , a student association of University of Poitiers

University of Poitiers

The University of Poitiers is a university in Poitiers, France. It is a member of the Coimbra Group.-History:Founded in 1431 by Pope Eugene IV and chartered by King Charles VII, the University of Poitiers was originally composed of five faculties: theology, canon law, civil law, medicine, and...

 (France) created in the 1920s. The members themselves are also called bitards and is some occasions they wear a cape colored according to their rank in the order and a faluche

Faluche

A faluche is a traditional cap worn by students in France. It is a black velvet beret, decorated with colored ribbons and badges.Several student groups wear the faluche, especially bitards, basochards, and faluchards...

, the traditional French Student cap

Student cap

In various European countries, student caps of different types are or have been worn, either as a marker of a common identity, as is the case in the Nordic countries, or to identify the bearer as member of a smaller corporation within the larger group of students, as is the case with the caps worn...

. The bitards faluche has the particularity of being decorated with a chevron and having its own code for the signification of insignia

Insignia

Insignia or insigne pl -nia or -nias : a symbol or token of personal power, status or office, or of an official body of government or jurisdiction...

. The folklore of the association refers to François Rabelais

François Rabelais

François Rabelais was a major French Renaissance writer, doctor, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He has historically been regarded as a writer of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, bawdy jokes and songs...

 as the word appears twice in hunting outcomes in Pantagruel

Pantagruel

Pantagruel is an international Early Music ensemble specialising in semi-staged performances of Renaissance music. The group was formed in Essen, Germany at the end of 2002 by the English lutenist Mark Wheeler and the German born Dominik Schneider...

.

Each year, the order organizes a one week festival, called the (69th week of students). Various festive activities happen during this week, including a procession, drinking events and a Bitard hunting.