Literal translation
to do Saint Michael
Meaning
to move house
Explanation
The expression refers to the feast of Saint Michael, September 29, the traditional date on which many rural leases expired and sharecropper or tenant families moved to a new farm or lodging; faire Sant-Michèu or faire Sant Miquèu thus literally means to do Saint Michael, and by extension to move house. Miquèu is the attested Provençal form of the name Michael, while sant carries its ordinary meaning of saint. The variant Michèu, closer to French, is by far the more commonly used form compared with Miquèu, a more learned or older one. This link between a date on the liturgical calendar and an event in material life recalls how important saints' feast days were as time markers in old rural society, where farming and rental deadlines followed the religious calendar. The register is neutral, the expression simply being the usual way to say moving house in certain Provençal areas, with no particular connotation.