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A Cajun Christmas: Hardship, Merriment, and Ethnic Louisianan Culture
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20043 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1992 |
3,085 Words |
| Author
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Peggy Robbins
Peggy Robbins, a Tennessee native, is a free-lance writer
living in Gulfport, Mississippi. Over the past three decades,
she has written extensively about American heritage and
military history. |
In the second decade of the twentieth century, a European refugee who had lived among the Cajuns in the bayou country of Lousiana for five years was asked to describe the Cajun people in a few words. He replied, "Religious, peaceful, industrious, resourceful, determined, stubborn, puzzling, and happy--surprisingly, very happy."
Today, the Cajuns can, in general, be described the same way. But they are puzzling only to the people who expect them to be marked by their tragic heritage, to be burdened and bitter with thoughts of the persecution and suffering of their ancestors--the forced exodus from the lands of eastern Canada.
They instead are thankful for all the blessings of their lives; proud of their accomplishments, they take delight in each day and the anticipation of each tomorrow. Church, family, community, work, and play are important to Louisiana Cajuns, and at no other time of the year are they more important than the Christmas season.
For the entire month of December, southern Louisiana--often called Acadiana--is ablaze with bonfires, alive with celebrations, and overrun by all things Christmas. It is a joyous time, even if the Cajun story is no less tragic than the Christmas story: a people turned away at every door.
A People Displaced
In the seventeenth century, Acadia--the French called it "Acadia" or "La Cadie"--include present-day Nova Scotia, southeastern New Brunswick, and a portion of eastern Maine. Originally the home of the Micmac Indians, its name is believed to have been derived from aquoddie, the Micmac term for the pollock fish. Settled by the French, Acadia lay just north of the English colonies, and Great Britain looked jealously upon it. Britain claimed ownership to the rich Acadian country based on the vague exploration of John Cabot in 1497 and raided the main colony, Port Royal, in 1623. Acadia would remain disputed for more than a century.
In the summer of 1755, Gov. Charles Lawrence and his council at Halifax were making plans for Nova Scotia's Acadian population. The group had long been a thorn in the side of English rule, a thorn Lawrence intended to remove by any means. The scheme involved confiscation of Acadian lands, livestock, boats, and arms and the destruction of their homes; it encouraged the most merciless treatment in handling
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