 sj |
||
|
||
BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
|
|
|
|||||||
|
BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee |
Share Thread
|
||||||
|
Subject: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: open mike Date: 17 Dec 08 - 01:53 AM Has anyone ever seen these? I hear there are over 100 large fires on christmas eve or earlier...i wonder if there is any music that accompanies them? (that could put this above the line) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQXIDlLD77g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcPWKpJ7A0U&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jxeaZsmDlE&feature=related http://www.tabasco.com/taste_tent/festivals/dec_bonfires_on_levee.cfm http://louisiana-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/christmas_eve_bonfires http://www.stjamesparish.com/local/localinfo/BONFIRES/Bonfir1.htm http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=XGP308-023 http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/main_misc_bonfires_levee.html is it a Cajun tradition? Creole? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 17 Dec 08 - 10:48 AM There must be music; this is Louisiana, after all. Sounds like fun. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: katlaughing Date: 17 Dec 08 - 10:48 AM That's something I would love to see just once in my lifetime. Thanks for letting us know about it! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: PoppaGator Date: 17 Dec 08 - 12:58 PM I've lived in South Louisiana (New Orleans) since 1969, but have never yet made the trip out to that outlying area on Christmas Eve. There's always local TV and newspaper coverage, so I can almost believe that I've had first-hand experience. (I have seen the bonfire structures in the daylight, days before they would be lit. Pretty amazing work!) I'm not sure that the custom could be accurately categorized as either "Cajun" or "Creole." It is indigenous to one particular South-Louisiana area, right on the Mississippi River, a little too close to New Orleans to be part of the what's usually defined as "Cajun country." The definition of "Creole" is very ambiguous, but none of the usual meanings (urban New Orleanian of mixed-race heritiage, or rural French-speaking zydeco-playing Black) really apply to the Christmas-bonfire culture of St. James Parish. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: Desert Dancer Date: 18 Dec 08 - 11:09 AM Just spotted this, this morning: according to Shaunna Morrison Machosky at public radio station DUQ, ~ Becky in Tucson |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: Wesley S Date: 18 Dec 08 - 11:36 AM Does the alligators have names? Somehow I don't think that Dasher and Prancer would be suitable for a gator. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: PoppaGator Date: 18 Dec 08 - 12:16 PM There's a children's book entitled "The Cajun Night Before Christmas" wherein the reindeer are (I think!) flying alligators with appropriate names. It was newly published when my now-adult kids were young. I haven't seen or thought about it for years, so my memory may be faulty. But, anyone who look sit up will probably be amused. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: open mike Date: 18 Dec 08 - 02:48 PM here are the names of the 'gators Mo' fas'er and fas'er De 'gator dey came He whistle an' holler An' call dem by name: "Ha Gaston! Ha, Tiboy! Ha, Pierre an' Alcee' Gee, Ninette! Gee Suzette! Celeste and Renee!" and here is the entire piece, in dialect: Cajun Night Before Christmas by "Trosclair" Published by Pelican Publishing Co. 1988 'Twas the night before Christmas An' all t'ru de house Dey don't a t'ing pass Not even a mouse De chirren been nezzle Good snug on de flo' An' Mamm pass de pepper T'ru de crack on de do'. Den Mama in de fireplace Done roas' up de ham Stir up de gumbo An' make bake de yam. Den out on de by-you Dey got such a clatter Make soun' link old Boudreau Done fall off his ladder. I run like a rabbit To got to de do' Trip over the dorg An' fall on de flo'. As I look out de do' In de light o' de moon I t'ink "Manh, you crazy Or got ol' too soon." Cuz dere on de by-you W'en I stretch ma' neck stiff Dere's eight alligator A pullin' de skiff. An' a little fat drover Wit' a long pole-ing stick I know r'at away Got to be ole St. Nick. Mo' fas'er and fas'er De 'gator dey came He whistle an' holler An' call dem by name: "Ha Gaston! Ha, Tiboy! Ha, Pierre an' Alcee' Gee, Ninette! Gee Suzette! Celeste and Renee!" "To de top o' de porch To de top o' de wall Make crawl, alligator An' be sho' you don' fall." Like Tante Flo's cat T'ru de treetop he fly W'en de big ol' houn' dorg Come a run hisse'f by Like dat up de porch Dem ole 'gator clim! Wit' de skiff full o' toy An' St. Nicklus behin'. Den on top de porch roof It soun' like de hail W'en all dem big 'gator Done sot down dey tail. Den down de chimney I yell with a bam An' St. Nicklus fall An' sit on de yam. "Sacre!" he axclaim "Ma pant got a hole I done sot ma'se'f On dem red hot coal." He got on his foots An' jump like a card Out to de flo' Where he lan' wit' a SPLAT! He was dress in musk-rat From his head to his foot An' his clothes is all dirty Wit' ashes an' soot. A sack full o' playt'ing He t'row on his back He look like a burglar An' dass fo' a fack. His eyes how dey shine His dimple how merry! Maybe he been drink De wine from blackberry. His cheek was like a rose His nose like a cherry On secon' t'ought maybe He lap up de sherry. Wit' snow-white chin whisker An' quiverin' belly He shook w'en he laugh Like de stomberry jelly! But a wink in his eye An' a shook o' his head Make my confi-dence dat I don' got to be scared. He don' do no talkin' Gone straight to his work Put playt'ing in sock An' den turn wit' a jerk. He put bot' his han' Dere on top o' his head Cas' an eye on de chimney An' den he done said: "Wit' all o' dat fire An' dem burnin' hot flame Me I ain' goin' back By de way dat I came." So he run out de do' An' he clim' to de roof He ain' no fool, him For to make one more goof. He jump in his skiff An' crack his big whip. De 'gator move down An' don' make one slip. An' I hear him shout loud As a splashin' he go "Merry Christmas to all 'Til I saw you some mo'!" (It's really much better seeing the pictures in the book along with the story, seeing the eight alligators pulling Santa along..funny 'tuff) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: open mike Date: 18 Dec 08 - 03:11 PM this may be the original burning man! http://www.burningman.com/ http://www.festivalofthebonfires.org/ http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-11/119692637586430.xml&coll=1 i love that the paper there is the picayune. http://www.lapage.com/parishes/sjame.htm |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: Desert Dancer Date: 18 Dec 08 - 04:26 PM Thanks for that, Laurel! ~ Becky in Tucson |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: open mike Date: 29 Oct 09 - 05:28 PM other threads about bonfires: http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=75201#1317838--newfoundland http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=68151#1144437--birthdayfires Louisiana...impressive to see piles of wood even before they are lit:] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQXIDlLD77g http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/main_misc_bonfires_levee.html http://www.louisianatravel.com/christmas-eve-bonfires-along-levee http://louisiana-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/christmas_eve_bonfires http://louisiana-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/christmas_eve_bonfires |
|
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee From: open mike Date: 06 Dec 10 - 02:07 AM i posted a link to this you tube video on Louisians bonfires on my face book page Every year at this time, they light huge bonfires on the levee in celebration of Cajun Christmas. It was originally a beacon to show Papa Noel the way to get to the bayou. Here are some pix: http://www.festivalofthebonfires.org/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcPWKpJ7A0U&feature=related |
