Literal translation
to celebrate every feast day of saint Cabedèu
Meaning
to party endlessly, celebrate nonstop
Explanation
The expression invents a saint for the occasion, Sant Cabedèu, unknown to any real liturgical calendar, whose name comes from the word cabedèu, meaning a skein or ball of thread: the pun rests on the image of a thread that unwinds endlessly, just as this fictitious saint's feast days follow one another without ever stopping. Saying that someone celebrates every feast of saint Cabedèu amounts to teasing a person who multiplies occasions for partying, stringing celebrations one after another like a thread that never runs out. This invention of a fanciful saint belongs to a widespread practice in Provençal speech, which likes to coin playful proper names to build vivid expressions without targeting any real person or religious figure, similar to other phrases in the same set evoking Mèste Moucho or Mèste Arnaud. The register is familiar and light, used to comment indulgently or with amusement on a close acquaintance's festive habits.