Cajuns and Religion

Religion plays an important part in Cajun life. Originally, the French language and the Catholic religion were the main aspects of Cajun life that kept the culture together. It was very difficult for the Catholic Cajuns to thrive in a Protestant territory, particularly when the primary language of the land was English. Cajuns are strongly Catholic, and tie many festivals and celebrations to religious holidays.

Since the Roman Catholic Acadians loved their religion, and the priests visited infrequently, the Acadians celebrated la messe blanche (a white mass prayer service conducted by layman). The slaves practicied the religion of their masters. Free men of color enjoyed social prestige, were economically independent and engaged in many trades, worshipped in the same churches used by white people. Slaves sat in small pews on the side aisles.

Catholic priests are asked to bless several aspects of Cajun life. The annual "blessing of the fleet" is an event where the priests ask God's goodwill on the boats that will provide the livelihoods of their owners. Catholic priests also used to perform a mass in the sugarcane fields, again asking for a good crop for the year. As with many events, the Cajuns view these blessings as both a religious ceremony and an occasion for celebration.

"All Saints Day" is one of the Cajun culture's most respected religious celebrations, as it is considered a time to show respect to our ancestors. On this day, Cajuns paint their ancestors graves white, and decorate the graveyards with colorful flower arrangements.

While Mardi Gras is considered just a big carnival to many, it is celebrated as a religious "cleansing" of the soul in Cajun country. According to Cajun-film maker Pat Mire, "Cultural Catholicism still binds the community together, and collecting ingredients for a community gumbo remains central to their run. They work hard all year, but they also celebrate life abundantly because their faith teaches them that life has been redeemed and Mardi Gras day provides the opportunity to embrace the totality of human life. "

Some Cajuns believe in"traiteurs"- Cajun faith healers that heal the sick through the power of prayers, which are spoken in French.

If you visit St. Martinville, Louisiana, you might want to visit St. Martin de Tours Church. Or, take a tour of Vermilionville, and see the small wooden church there.

Many cities and Louisiana parishes (counties) are named after Catholic saints. St. Martinville is an example of a city named for a Catholic saint. Our local governmental bodies are known as parishes ("counties" in other states). This is because they evolved from the Catholic parishes that formed around our churches. Catholicism was the only religion legally allowed to be practiced in Louisiana before the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Cajun Religion and Shrines

The Cajuns' strong Catholic background encourages them to make religious shrines an important part of everyday life. Cajuns tend to build shrines to remind them of their faith, and to help them deal with grief.

REMINDERS OF THE FAITH

The Catholic religion encourages the faithful to place reminders of their faith in and around their homes. Outside, Cajun families will often place a statue of a religious figure, usually the Virgin Mary. These statues are usually placed in grottos in the yards of the believer, and are quite often elaborately decorated. Occasionally, a flower garden or gazebo is built around the shrine. Religious articles and statues are often placed in the home, as well. While some disagree with this practice, the Catholics believe these objects serve as gentle reminders of one's faith.

DEALING WITH GRIEF

One relatively new trend has been occurring in Cajun country during the last decade - the building of roadside shrines in the place where a loved one may have died in an automobile accident. While this practice is now being supported by many groups outside of the Cajun culture, it is believed that the practice came from Mexico, a heavily Catholic area.

These shrines and markers are placed near the place where a loved one died in an automobile accident. The most common object for these shrines is a white cross. Often, the name of the victim and/or the name of the victim's loved ones are written on the cross. Sometimes the crosses are adorned with plastic flowers or a bronze plaque reminding passers-by of the tragedy. Other objects that are found at these shrines include statues of the Virgin Mary and hand-painted signs with expressions of love toward the deceased. Some unusual articles found at two shrines include a large bronze cross and part of an automobile grill.

While these displays may seem morbid to some, it is a way of dealing publicly with one's grief over the tragic loss of a loved one, and sharing that grief with the community.

"Pâcques-ing" - The Breaking of Easter Eggs

One tradition long practiced by Cajuns of Louisiana include an egg cracking contest that takes place on Easter Sunday.

Every Easter Sunday, the families get together with their finest and strongest Easter eggs. Two contestants, each with an un-boiled egg, stand head-to-head and tap the ends of the eggs together firmly until one of the eggs breaks. The winner gets to keep the loser's egg.

Old and young members of the family take turns at the contest. It is a friendly competition between the children and grandchildren to see who can"pâcques" with grandmothers and grandfathers first.

The contest is usually split between those using regular eggs, and those using the tougher eggs of the guinea hen. Some contestants will feed extra calcium to a chicken during the year, just in hopes of getting an extra-hard egg on Easter day.

The City of Marksville, Louisiana, hosts an annual Easter egg cracking contest on the steps of the parish courthouse. Thousands of people show up for the celebration, and try to win the friendly competition.