Festivals
Besides observing
regular holidays,
Acadians love to
celebrate other
days in the way
their ancestors
did.
La Chandeleur –
Candlemas: Years
ago, the feast of
Candlemas, on
February 2, began
in church with
the blessing of
the candles and
was followed by a supper and an evening of music and dance. A
few days prior to February 2, a group of people from the
community would go from house to house in search of food
for Candlemas. This group was led by an individual dressed
up for the occasion and holding a long cane decorated with
ribbons of various colours. Where food was given out, the
group would dance the Escaouette as a way of thanking the
householders. We called this activity “courir la Chandeleur”
(running the Candlemas). On the day in question, people
would get together at a pre-designated location, where
they would have supper and spend the evening singing
and dancing. Today, all that is left is the supper and
dance in a community hall.
Mardi Gras – In the past, we called “Shrovetide” the
three days preceding Ash Wednesday, during which
time all work came to a halt. It was time to party.
Friends and family visited each other; evenings
were spent playing cards, or dancing if there was
music. Today, we observe Shrove Tuesday only
and we do it with a pancake supper followed by a
dance at a community hall. The yearly Mardi
Gras festivities in Southern Louisiana originated
with the Acadians who brought the custom with
them to the U.S. when they settled there following
their expulsion from Nova Scotia.
Mi-Carême – For our ancestors, Lent was a time of
sacrifice during which time no amusement of any
kind was permitted. In order to have a break from
the monotony of this 40 day period, on the Thursday
marking the exact half time of Lent, people began
to disguise themselves and go from house to house
while trying to keep their identity a secret. The
householders would try to guess who was behind
the mask and costume. With time, the Mi-Carême
was extended to cover the whole third week of Lent.
The festivities now begin on Sunday with an
evening called “Laissons entrer les mi-carêmes”
(Let the mi-carêmes in), which takes place in the
community centre.. The evening consists of musical
entertainment, dancing, goodies, and of course,
mi-carêmes!. The Mi-Carême is officially started!.
We “run” the Mi-Carême every day and every nigh
t of that week and the whole thing comes to a close
with another social evening on Saturday night.
Feast of the Assumption – It was in 1881, at an
Acadian congress in Memramcook, N.B., that our
ancestors designated August 15, feast of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin, as the national feast of the
Acadians. Today, we start the day with mass
where we sing “Ave Maris Stella”, the national
anthem of the Acadians, and we end the day
with an evening of celebration “à l’Acadienne”
Tapestry (Rug Hooking)We call “hooking” the makingof wool or ragrugs on burlap.
The burlap is stretched
tightly on a wooden frame, and the hook is a simple nail
with a curved tip attached to a wooden handle. With a
hook held in the right hand, the wool or rag (held
underneath the burlap with the left hand) is pulled
to the surface of the burlap. Although rag rugs are
still being produced, our attention here will focus
on our wool rugs.
Nearby Beach
Originally, these
hooked rugs served
as throw rugs to
cover the cold floors
in winter or to
exchange with
traveling salesmen for mechandise not available locally.
The turning
point of the rug industry came when in 1927, Lillian Burke,
an artist
from New York as well as a friend of the Bell family of Baddeck,
visited
this area. She became interested in these works of art
which she
introduced on the U.S. market. Profit was still
minimal
for the
rug “hookers” and because of that, a few women began
operating
their own boutiques. Today you will find many of these
boutiques,
where friendly staff await to serve you.
The name “Élizabeth LeFort” immediately comes
to mind
when one speaks about rug hooking. Like most others,
Mrs.
LeFort started her career by hooking sceneries,
but the
turning point came when her talent for hooking
portraits
was discovered. Referred to as “Canada’s artist in Wool”,
Mrs. LeFort was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree
from the Université de Moncton, as well as the Order
of Canada. Her works may be admired at various places
throughout the world, i.e. at the Vatican, Buckingham
Palace, the White House and at the Museum of Civilization
in Ottawa. You can feast your eyes on many of her
tapestries while visiting the gallery which bears her
name, at the Trois Pignons, in Chéticamp.

Cheticamp Harbour
In January 1998,
a group of rug
hookers from
Chéticamp,
under the
skilled direction
of Marie-Claire
Doucet, undertook the task of hooking a large rug (15ft x10ft) destined
for the Canadian Room at Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor
General of Canada in Ottawa. The finished product of this venture is,
like many before, a real masterpiece. |
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