Acadian Day

Tintamarre during National Acadian Day 2009, Caraquet New Brunswick. Kevin / wikimedia / 2009 / CC BY 2.0

The 15th of August is Acadian Day.

It celebrates the food, music, history, language and culture of the Acadians who live on the east coast of Canada.

The colours of the Acadian flag are red, white, blue and yellow, and they will be on display in abundance today.

The day is celebrated with music, concerts, and feasting.

In Caraquet, New Brunswick, there is a parade through the streets called the “Tintamarre”. People dress up in silly costumes and join in with bells, pots, wooden spoons, horns, etc. just to make noise and dance along in the parade.

Tintamarres take place in other towns as well.

The day is an officially recognized national day in Canada, enacted by parliament and proclaimed by the Crown. ^[1]National Acadian Day Act. Government of Canada. S.C. 2003, c. 11. Assented to 2003-06-19. Accessed July 2021 at https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/n-1.4/FullText.html

Louisiana holds its own Acadian Day in November on the Friday right after Thanksgiving. “The state holiday is proclaimed each year by the governor as a day of rest for state employees, giving them a four day Thanksgiving weekend.” ^[2]Simoneux, Carter. Acadian Day: Louisiana’s Least Known Holiday. Lafayette, Louisiana: KADN-News. 20 November 2018. Accessed January 2019 at https://kadn.com/acadian-day-louisianas-least-known-holiday/ Though apparently not many people there realize what the extra day off is for, other than a bonus day off after US Thanksgiving.

#AcadianDay #NationalAcadianDay

See also: Acadian Food, Poutine Râpée

History

The date was chosen in 1881 by the first National Acadian Convention which took place in Memramcook, New Brunswick.

At the time, the debate was between two days: the 24th of June, St-Jean-Baptiste Day, which is also Quebec’s National Day. Choosing this day would signal a unified day for francophones in Canada to celebrate, and it would, it was argued, strengthen ties between Acadians and Quebeckers. The alternative day discussed was the 15th of August, the Assumption of Mary. Supporters of August 15th pointed out that Acadia had a different history, culture, identity and even linguistic expression from Quebeckers.

In the end, the 15th of August was chosen for the above reasons, and to signal continued devotion to Mary, the patron saint of the Acadians.

Sources

Fortnum, Travis. New Brunswickers celebrate Acadian Day amid pandemic. Global News. 15 August 2020. Accessed July 2021 at https://globalnews.ca/news/7278280/coronavirus-n-b-acadian-day/

National Acadian Day. Tourism New Brunswick. Accessed August 2017 at https://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/Products/N/National-Acadian-Day.aspx

National Acadian Day. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Accessed August 2017 at https://www.cbc.ca/acadian/feature_national_acadian_day.html

National Acadian Day celebrated in Charlottetown. Charlottetown, PEI: The Guardian. 16 August 2018. Accessed July 2021 at https://www.theguardian.pe.ca/news/local/national-acadian-day-celebrated-in-charlottetown-234367/

National Acadian Day. Government of Nova Scotia. Accessed July 2021 at https://cch.novascotia.ca/stories/national-acadian-day-0

When is National Acadian Day celebrated? Musée Acadien. Accessed August 2017 at http://museeacadien.org/an/online-resources/frequently-asked-questions/de-la-fete-nationale-des-acadiens/

Young, Francis. National Acadian Day. St John, New Brunswick: New Brunswick Human Rights Commission. August 2014. Accessed July 2021 at https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2014.08.1034.html