BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee

17 Dec 08 - 01:53 AM (#2517472)
Subject: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: open mike

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?

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17 Dec 08 - 10:48 AM (#2517820)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: GUEST,leeneia

There must be music; this is Louisiana, after all.

Sounds like fun.

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17 Dec 08 - 10:48 AM (#2517821)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: katlaughing

That's something I would love to see just once in my lifetime. Thanks for letting us know about it!

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17 Dec 08 - 12:58 PM (#2518012)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: PoppaGator

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.

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18 Dec 08 - 11:36 AM (#2518946)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: Wesley S

Does the alligators have names? Somehow I don't think that Dasher and Prancer would be suitable for a gator.

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18 Dec 08 - 12:16 PM (#2519004)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: PoppaGator

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.

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18 Dec 08 - 02:48 PM (#2519129)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: open mike

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)

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18 Dec 08 - 03:11 PM (#2519154)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: open mike

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

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18 Dec 08 - 04:26 PM (#2519221)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: Desert Dancer

Thanks for that, Laurel!

~ Becky in Tucson

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29 Oct 09 - 05:28 PM (#2755175)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: open mike

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

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06 Dec 10 - 02:07 AM (#3047243)
Subject: RE: BS: christmas bonfires on Louisiana levee
From: open mike

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

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