Twins of the world unite in France

Hundreds of twins, triplets and quadruplets pose for a family photo in Pleucadeuc. The tiny French village in Brittany -- the self proclaimed capital of twin-dom -- has played host to an international gathering of thousands of identical twins, triplets and quadruplets.

RENNES, France (AFP) - A tiny French village in Brittany -- the self proclaimed capital of twin-dom -- has played host to an international gathering of thousands of identical twins, triplets and quadruplets.

The 11th annual edition of "Two and More" in Pleucadeuc on Sunday attracted dynamic duos from as far afield as China, Japan and Benin in Africa.

"A pair of twins from India, 29, pulled into the village in a taxi," a first for the festival, noted event organizer Alain Launay with apparent pride.

Pleucadeuc did not become Twin Town by accident. Some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Vannes, it may have the highest ratio of twins per capita of any place in the world, 30 pairs out of 1,525 inhabitants.

"Some were born here and others have settled in the village," explained Launay, himself the father of identical 23-year-old girls.

This year's twin-fest has attracted "at least as many pairs, triplets and quadruplets as last year," said Launay, including about 1,700 twins and 8,000 relatives, friends and visitors.

Launay's inspiration to launch the festival coincided with the definitive cancellation of the village's annual open-air gathering a decade ago due to increasingly restrictive regulations.

He had noticed, he said, "a natural and spontaneous attraction among twins and that they liked to get together." A former parish rector, Louis Jarno, himself a twin, frequently visited Launay's daughters and introduced them to many other twins as well.

Their combined efforts resulted in the first open-invitation gathering in 1994, which drew some 300 twins and triplets, mainly from France.

The event grew steadily from there, and today includes a massive collective picnic, activities throughout the day, and -- the feature event -- an open-forum series of sketches, stories and musical performances by terrific twosomes and threesomes from around the world.

There is no official dress code, but most identical siblings dress, well, identically.

Launay's daughters buy new matching outfits every year for the occasion. Just down the road, 15-year-old triplets, who have been attending the festival since they were four, also insist on looking like peas in a pod come August 15.