Renewing the identity of French in New England
Was Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day Celebrated in Your Community? Est-ce que la Fête de la Saint-Jean-Baptiste a été célébrée dans votre communauté?
Hi everyone / Bonjour tout le monde!!!
I would like to respond to a reader's comment in a journalist's blog posted on the site of Montreal's newspaper La Presse. In his comment, the reader asserted that the Fête nationale (name used in Québec since the 1970s to refer to what was until then the Fête de la Saint-Jean) is now only celebrated in Québec and that the Fête de la Saint-Jean is now essentially "dead" outside Québec.
A reader from Ontario has already challenged that assertion and I can complement her testimony in the case of Western Canada, where I have lived some years ago. I know for a fact that Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is still celebrated / commemorated in many of the small urban and rural francophone communities in Western Canada.
My review of on-line newspapers and other web sites in the US suggests that Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is still celebrated / commemorated in some French Canadian communities of New England and Northern New York State. It is my understanding that the celebrations / commemorations are often modest and that the principal language of communication is often English (as opposed to French), but that does not matter, I am looking for instances where the tradition still persists...
It is also my understanding that Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day was celebrated at Sibley House in Mendota, in the Greater Minneapolis-St Paul area in Minnesota, and that it may also perhaps have been commemorated by some of the descendants of the French Canadians who settled the rural communities of the Kankakee valley, approx. 60 miles south of Chicago (Illinois), in the 19th century.
Because I have not visited most of these regions, I would like to have personal testimonies of people who inhabit or know these regions and who perhaps have taken part in or witnessed some of these celebrations / commemorations. I would also like to know whether the celebration / commemoration is mostly of a religious nature, limited to the family, held in public with cultural events (music, exhibitions, testimonies from elders, etc.).
If you are from these communities, please provide me with your views.
If you are from or are familiar with other states where French Canadians have settled (e.g., Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, the Dakotas, Montana, Washington State, Oregon, etc.), please also let me know if Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is still celebrated or commemorated in these areas.
In closing, my wife and I are planning to "cross the border" to attend the French Heritage Days festival in Vergennes, Vermont, on July 17-18. If any member of this group also plans to attend, please let me know.
Merci et bonne journée à tous!
Jacques
PS:
1) You are always invited to visit and leave comments on the Franco-American News and Events site, to which I periodically contribute.
2) If you have a good understanding of spoken French, Radio-Canada's radio network will begin broadcasting a special summer series of the popular history program De remarquables oubliés at 19:00 hrs (7:00 PM), EDT. If you do not live close to the border, you can listen to the program via the Internet and you can take part in the program by phoning or sending e-mails (during the 2nd hour, the audience is invited to submit questions and/or comments...). Please check the program's site for further info.
I would like to respond to a reader's comment in a journalist's blog posted on the site of Montreal's newspaper La Presse. In his comment, the reader asserted that the Fête nationale (name used in Québec since the 1970s to refer to what was until then the Fête de la Saint-Jean) is now only celebrated in Québec and that the Fête de la Saint-Jean is now essentially "dead" outside Québec.
A reader from Ontario has already challenged that assertion and I can complement her testimony in the case of Western Canada, where I have lived some years ago. I know for a fact that Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is still celebrated / commemorated in many of the small urban and rural francophone communities in Western Canada.
My review of on-line newspapers and other web sites in the US suggests that Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is still celebrated / commemorated in some French Canadian communities of New England and Northern New York State. It is my understanding that the celebrations / commemorations are often modest and that the principal language of communication is often English (as opposed to French), but that does not matter, I am looking for instances where the tradition still persists...
It is also my understanding that Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day was celebrated at Sibley House in Mendota, in the Greater Minneapolis-St Paul area in Minnesota, and that it may also perhaps have been commemorated by some of the descendants of the French Canadians who settled the rural communities of the Kankakee valley, approx. 60 miles south of Chicago (Illinois), in the 19th century.
Because I have not visited most of these regions, I would like to have personal testimonies of people who inhabit or know these regions and who perhaps have taken part in or witnessed some of these celebrations / commemorations. I would also like to know whether the celebration / commemoration is mostly of a religious nature, limited to the family, held in public with cultural events (music, exhibitions, testimonies from elders, etc.).
If you are from these communities, please provide me with your views.
If you are from or are familiar with other states where French Canadians have settled (e.g., Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, the Dakotas, Montana, Washington State, Oregon, etc.), please also let me know if Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is still celebrated or commemorated in these areas.
In closing, my wife and I are planning to "cross the border" to attend the French Heritage Days festival in Vergennes, Vermont, on July 17-18. If any member of this group also plans to attend, please let me know.
Merci et bonne journée à tous!
Jacques
PS:
1) You are always invited to visit and leave comments on the Franco-American News and Events site, to which I periodically contribute.
2) If you have a good understanding of spoken French, Radio-Canada's radio network will begin broadcasting a special summer series of the popular history program De remarquables oubliés at 19:00 hrs (7:00 PM), EDT. If you do not live close to the border, you can listen to the program via the Internet and you can take part in the program by phoning or sending e-mails (during the 2nd hour, the audience is invited to submit questions and/or comments...). Please check the program's site for further info.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jon Tremblay on -
The "Voyageur thing" is often celebrated in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This St-Jean celebration you speak of in Minnesota is something relatively new. I remember now hearing about it last year and I missed it this year. I can guarantee you this, unless one of the local Canadian hockey players happens to volunteer at the event for the day, you wouldn't be hearing any French spoken, well... any REAL French spoken. We have a Canadian Consulate here in Minneapolis. A better question would be, does the Consulate try to organize anything for its French-speaking citizens.
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Permalink Reply by Paul J. Gutman on -
"La Saint Jean" is not officially celebrated in Presque Isle, because the town is only 15% French-speaking, (if that!), and most local Francophones consider themselves Acadian. Although Saint Jean Baptiste is considered the patron saint of French Canada, my Acadian friends who work for Radio Canada have told me that "les Acadiens" celebrate "le quinze aout" instead. Still, those of us with ties to Quebec, whether ancestral or emotional, often celebrate "la Saint Jean" in our hearts. Mes commentaires arrivent un peu en retard. Je m'excuse gros.
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Permalink Reply by Joseph Theriault on -
Just referencing the events posted on this site, I can say that it is still celebrated in Manchester, NH and Lowell, MA. I've actually been to the Manchester celebrations in past years and it is, as you say, modest, a mix of French and English and, notably different from Québec, still retains a religious component.
I couldn't attend the celebration in Manchester this year, b/c I'm in Québec City and went to the celebration here.
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Permalink Reply by Jacques Boudreau on
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Paul, Jon, Joseph,
Thanks a lot for your feedback.
I did post a comment (in French) on Alain Brunet's blog.
I am not sure that it will be read by a lot of people, but hopefully a few folks will read it and learn a bit about the Saint-Jean-Baptiste and Franco-American festivals in the U.S.
If you wish to read my comment, please visit Alain Brunet's blog and scroll down towards the last comments.
Merci encore et bonne journée!
Jacques
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