Interesting and Lost Customs

There are plenty of old customs that have vanished over the years. Years ago, it was commonplace for a man to remove his hat before entering a home or building. Hats were not worn indoors. That custom no longer exist today. Long ago before telephones were commonplace and when la vieille Azema, a mid-wife, delivered a baby, the proud papa would take down his shotgun from the rack above the door and fire it to announce the arrival. Bang! Bang! Un bal pour une fille; deux bals pour un garçon. Bang! Bang! (One round for a girl, two rounds for a boy.)
There was a type of square dance that the Cajuns danced named “lancier Acadien”, which was different than regular square dances. It was also known as quadrille, a country dance that dates back to the 18th century and consisted of four couples. This dance was performed in Dallas at the 1936 folk life festival by a group of young Acadians from New Iberia. The group was led by Fred Decuir. They danced all five parts of the dance to the music of Wade Broussard of St. Martinville.
There was another form of square dance called les variétés. And there was also another dance called the Jilliling, a two-step, reportedly named for a Swedish opera singer named Jenny Lind. She was one of the most highly regarded singers in the 1800s and often referred to as the Swedish Nightingale.
Not that long ago on the Cajun prairies were other customs that have vanished over time, e.g., coup de main, a lending hand, especially when it required lots of hands during à couvrage (re-shingling bee), écosserie (hulling bee) ou à piocherie (hoeing bee). This was customary, especially after the death of the head of household or the person traditionally doing the work on the farmstead. There was also à boucherie de campagne (a country slaughter of a hog or cow), which was more common especially during the winter months.
Also long ago, most Cajuns were married in fall or winter months when they had money from the harvest. The married couple were oftentimes invited and paid to have their bal de noce or wedding dance at certain dance halls. These dances usually brought in a large crowd including friends and family members of the bride and groom. The tradition of pinning money (bills) has been around forever and was usually pinned on the bride’s veil or wedding dress. This is also a custom with other nationalities or countries.
A charivari is another custom that has fallen by the wayside, except on special occasions. This was the making of loud noise by banging pots and pans usually done on the wedding night of a widow, widower, ou à vieux garçon (old bachelor). The noise continued until the revelers were invited in for a meal.
Long ago when a girl rejected a suitor, she would send the unfortunate ex-boyfriend “a tiny coat, small enough to fit into an envelope and delivered by mail or by an acquaintance.” Back during that era, there was a popular Cajun French song that pertains to the above with the lyrics: “Ce n’est pas la bague j’ai regretté; c’était le capot que ma belle m’a donné.” You must admit the lyrics does have a lilt or lyrical sound to it which translates to: “It’s not the ring that I regretted; it is the coat my sweetheart gave me.” The above words, phrases, and customs were from “Cajun Sketches, from the Prairies of Southwest Louisiana” published in 1962 by Lauren C. Post, a native of Rayne.
Another long-lost custom that also pertains to Cajun music and bands is the custom when someone requested music to be played, the request was for a “round” of dances, which meant the musicians played the following dances in the following order: “a waltz, une valse a deux temps [two-step], a mazurka, [a lively Polish dance in triple time], and a polka” [originally a Czech dance that was said to be popular in all of Europe and the Americas.] After making the request, the couple were obligated to dance all four dances together. The above custom is from: “Tears, Love and Laughter: The Story of the Cajuns and Their Music” published in 1972 by Pierre V. Daigle of Pointe Noir.