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by Carmella Arsenault

m he Acadian population of the Atlan- One festival which was particularly gatherings even during the day, and tic Provinces has deep roots in this dear to the Acadians was the Jours gras dancing late into the night posed no country. They arrived in the 17th and or Shrovetide, with Mardi Gras (Shrove problem. 18th centuries, bringing with them Tuesday) as the highlight of the cele- One community, St. Edwards, French traditions which they have kept brations. In the Acadian communities seemed particularly to enjoy these alive for many generations. Their isola- on Prince Edward Island, as well as gatherings. There, they would use the tion, especially from the Deportation elsewhere in the Atlantic Provinces, the Jours gras festivities as an excuse to (Expulsion) of the 1750s until this Jours gras provided a welcome occasion begin dancing sometimes three weeks century, has certainly contributed to the for dancing, visiting friends and rela- before Lent. According to Auldine preservation of these traditions. In fact, tives, and generally having a great time. Arsenault, a native of that village, there the folklore of the Acadians is known to In this article we shall see how this would be a dance practically every night be among the richest i n North America. festival was celebrated during the early and these would usually last until one in The early Island Acadians had the decades of this century in a number of the morning. They would take place in reputation of being a cheerful people. In Acadian communities in Prince County. people's homes and not in dance halls. 1770 William Drummond, a British The Shrovetide period precedes Finding a house was easy; at each visitor to the settlement of Malpeque, Lent, a forty-day penitential season of dance they would simply decide where noted in his diary on June 4: "At 9 went fasting and abstinence ending with the next one would be. Most houses in to another house where the French Easter. These forty days were not the community had their turn as host were convened, had a dance and spent looked forward to by the Acadians In another community, Abram's Vil- the evening in jollity."1 At a somewhat because during this time there could not lage, people would meet after church on later date another observer, S.S. Hill, be any dancing and celebrating. As a Sunday and discuss where to have the noted in his A Short Account Of Prince rule, the Acadians obeyed the orders of celebrations. They usually decided that Edward Island (London, 1839): the Church, so it should not be surprising all the dances for the community would that during the last few days before the be held in two or three homes. Since They [the Acadians] are in fact a beginning of Lent they made a point of invitations were considered unneces- careless and light-hearted people,... enjoying themselves to the full. sary, and anyone was welcome, each ever preferring the passing enjoy- The Jours gras festivities differed from person could decide where he thought ments of the hour, to the solid province to province, and even from there would be more enjoyment and pursuits of industry; so that, reckon- one village to another within the same thus go there. ing saints' days, on every one of province. The length of the celebrations If it happened that a person didn't which they make holiday and the actually depended on how much the know where the dancing was going to time they occupy in shooting and people of the various communities liked be held, all he had to do was follow the other amusements, they probably to dance and make merry, and could sleigh bells and they would quickly lead lose about a fifth of the year. last from two days to over a week and him to the right house. It occasionally even longer. During winter, the people happened that the dance was not

ll were not as busy as at other seasons organized until the last minute so that a 'Diary of William Drummond," The Island quick decision had to be made about Magazine, Number Two, Spring-Summer 1977. and this made it easier to have social 29 where to go. A group of people would special importance. It seems that the get together and say: "Let's go to main idea was to eat as much as you +s +.J. «-.. 's house. He'll probably let us could before the fasting period began. •A. I *• dance." In some places, the people who came to * dance in the afternoon would stay for The most intense celebrations were •fe& held on Shrove Monday and Tuesday, supper. Sometimes, if they lived not too swipF^v | far away, they would leave before the last two days before Lent. On 1 supper and go home to do chores, such 1 Monday afternoon people would begin gjfettry^ • making visits to find a good place for as milking the cows or feeding the dancing that evening. Once the place chickens, before returning early in the fa£ evening. In any case, whether at home ^^^^^^^^fc^Si^SP^ ^ J was chosen, it was not long before the ^H*^* house would be filled with friends and or with their friends, they ate heartily. relatives. According to Leah Maddix of The meals consisted of traditional ^KL^LH I Abram's Village, the whole family came Acadian dishes. One of these, known as j along and naturally expected to stay for rapure or chiard, was the most popular. * supper. After supper the real fun began. Its basic ingredients are grated potatoes, SB They would start square-dancing and onions, fat, and pork. The woman of the I step-dancing, accompanied by the local house spent part of the morning getting fiddler and quite often someone with a this ready. She would put the mixture in | J mouth organ. One square dance fol- a very large pan and cook it in the oven • lowed another. One informant, a for a few hours while the dancing went J** I ' woman from St. Edwards, says: "We on. If they made rapure on Shrove u just didn't stop all evening. The minute Friday, they would have to leave out the one dance ended, there was a group of pork since no meat could be eaten on ••= boys waiting around to ask us for the Friday. Another Acadian favourite was • ;*?*•„... next one. I usually didn't miss a single the poutines rapees. This dish is also Photography by Lawrence McLagan dance. The next day my toes were so made of finely grated potatoes formed Auldine Arsenault, sore I could hardly walk." into cup-size balls with a small piece of Abram's Village. The merry-makers would only go pork in the center. These are boiled in home as dawn was breaking. Some- water for about two hours and then village. Such incidents usually brought times people would catch a few hours served hot with molasses or with a criticism from the local clergy, who were sleep before the dancing was renewed brown sugar sauce. Other families quite often completely against dancing. on Tuesday afternoon. Quite often they would eat what was considered a special The most "respectable" families would would not sleep at all and get a few treat, buckwheat pancakes and molas- refuse to have dances in their homes hours work done before everyone ses. As for the reueillon, the evening rather than be looked down upon by gathered together again. A retired lunch, the women would serve each the clergy. school teacher from Miscouche, Mr. guest a sandwich and a cookie or piece For school-age children, Mardi Gras Ben DesRoches, remembers how on of cake. celebrations had a special appeal. The Shrove Monday people "would dance It was also traditional in each family to last Tuesday before Lent was one of the all night until 5 a.m. Then mostly make fudge or taffy. Everyone ate as rare days that they were allowed to everyone would go home to bed only to much as he wished so that none would leave school early, no doubt so the get up and continue dancing on Tues- be left over at midnight of Mardi Gras school teachers could go dancing. The day afternoon. Once," relates Mr. Des- since it was forbidden to eat such treats children didn't have any objections. It Roches, "I didn't go to bed at all and during Lent. If it happened that some was also traditional to make fudge at went dancing in the morning." were left over, only the small children school. In some communities, everyone On Tuesday, it was understood that were permitted to eat it However, there would bring his share of the sugar. In the dancing would begin early in the was sometimes a little cheating. others, the teacher would arrive in the afternoon as soon as the noon dishes As in most social gatherings today, morning with a ten-pound bag of sugar had been cleared away. Most people drinking alcoholic beverages was quite under his arm. The children would go to wouldn't consider working on such a popular, even though it was frowned the nearest neighbour to borrow a large day. Again, families would get together, upon by the clergy. At these dances, pot and the fudge was boiled on the old dance all afternoon, stop for supper, some of the men would bring jugs of wood stove. Afterwards, they ate as and then continue until midnight when home-made beer. This definitely made much as they wanted. "Once," relates it absolutely had to stop since Lent things livelier, even if the beer had to be Mrs. Roseline Gallant of St. Chrysos- began at that time. They were some- drunk secretly outside or in the bam. tome, "when I was going to school, we times tempted to go beyond the striking The women drank little, if at all. As with decided to make a big fudge. During the of twelve o'clock. However, remarks an the taffy, all the beer had to be finished noon hour, the teachers went home to Abram's Village woman, the host would by midnight. An Abram's Village lunch so we were left by ourselves. We not permit such a thing as dancing on woman says that this never seemed to made a big pot of fudge and somehow it Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), present a problem. didn't come out as it should have. We and the revellers had to obey him or he The drinking sometimes led to minor poured it on the snow. Everyone had wouldn't open his house for them the disputes and fighting. This would be fun eating fudge with a spoon." following year. more apt to occur if there were "out- In the vast repertoire of folksongs that During the Jours gras, food took on a siders" present from a neighbouring the Acadians brought over from their

30 Photography by Lawrence McLagan Leah Maddix, Abram's Village. mother country, several are linked In the first verse, the singers implore a J'ferons des poutines especially to Mardi Gras. One of these, a personified Mardi Gras not to go away. Ten auras pas. short song particularly well-known to They tell him they will make pancakes Island Acadians, is sung in different and that he will have his share. In the Here also the singers personify Mardi versions. The following comes from second verse, Mardi Gras is leaving and Gras and then tell him that if he leaves Mrs. Leah Maddix of Abram's Village. Lent is arriving. The singers realize that they will make some poutines and he there won't be any dancing until the won't have any. Mardi Gras va-t-en pas! next year or, as in some versions, until The people would sing these any time Nous ferons des crepes the coming summer. they felt like it at their dances. The Et tu en auras Here is another version of that song singing revealed how the people dis- Mardi Gras s'en va as it was sung for me by Mrs. Auldine liked seeing Lent arrive, with forty long Le Careme qui vient, Arsenault of Abram's Village. days of fasting, praying, and no danc- Nous ne danserons pas ing. Avant l'annee qui vient. Mardi Gras During winter there would be fre- Si tu t'en vas quent weddings. Those wishing to get

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si lilt, IIPII Photography by Lawrence McLagan

Roseline Gallant, St. Chtysostome. married had to do so before Lent. Shrovetide provided a good occasion for weddings and these increased the joy of the Jours gras festivities. On one particular occasion, according to a legend, a young couple from Rustico went to get married in St. Andrews. The Photography by Lawrence McLagan marriage took place just a few days Ben DesRoches, Miscouche. before Lent, but then a big storm came up. By the time it was over, Lent had social evenings of dancing and fun during Lent, there is less incentive to get arrived and there had been no wedding during Shrovetide. The children hardly out and have a good time before it feast. The young couple, after much know what Mardi Gras means. How- begins. discussion, decided to hold the festivities ever, some of the older people still insist Traditionally, the Acadian people as planned. The family needed a large on making traditional meals of r&pure were poor and hard-working. By learn- table for the occasion so they decided to and pancakes. Fudge and taffy are also ing to make the most of what they had, improvise one using loose boards. At made in many homes during these they managed to survive the early first, they couldn't seem to find any. days. pioneer period and the devastating Then someone remembered that there It is not clear why people have effects of a deportation. Certainly one of were some boards in the church and stopped celebrating Shrovetide. It is their resources was the ability to forget two men hurried there to "borrow" quite possible that the Second World their problems for a while and get them. As they were about to leave, they War was in a way responsible since together and have a good time. For the saw that two candles were burning on many young people left the rural areas, Acadians of Prince Edward Island, the altar. They dropped their boards whether to go to war or to work in Mardi Gras was one of the most and rushed home. They took this as a industry. Another possibility is that the enjoyable festivals of the year. warning from God not to have a feast way of life has changed, that most during Lent.1 people now have full-time jobs from The celebrating of Mardi Gras has which they can't take time off to gradually diminished until it has now celebrate. In the old days, most country t*dZ almost died out People no longer folk were farmers and fishermen, and gather at their neighbours' houses for being their own bosses they could easily take time off from work during this season of the year. One more reason for ^ttertoJ.-H. Blanchard from Jerome A. Gallant abandoning the festivities could be the (of Collette, New Brunswick), March 30, 1931, changes brought about by the Church. Blanchard Collection, Public Archives of Prince Edward Island. Since fasting is no longer practised

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