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All About the Franco-American Experience

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A Personal Recap of Le Rassemblement 2024

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On June 28, 2024

In All Posts, Franco-American Stories

What a great weekend at Le Annual Rassemblement with the Franco-American Programs in Orono, Maine, on April 5 – 7th, 2024. It was my first in-person Rassemblement, and the long drive was definitely worth it to connect with familiar faces and finally meet others whom I had only spoken to through our online groups. 

Of course, this recap will be from my perspective and will go into a personal essay that I didn’t intend to write for this article, but once I began typing, the words couldn’t stop flowing.

Friday, April 5th: Arrival to Le Centre Franco-Américain d’Orono

On Friday, the first day, I intended to arrive just in time to catch the 4pm panel discussing the Franco-American Centre’s over 50-year legacy in Orono. The panel featured Josée Vachon, Jim Bishop, and Paul Paré, with Jacob Albert of the Franco American Digital Archives/Portail franco-américain (FADA/PFA) moderating.  

But I got caught in the rain during the drive up from New Hampshire, so I was held up by traffic in some spots (probably also due to the incoming solar eclipse). Eventually, I arrived at the Centre around 5:30pm, happy to greet people and await the exciting weekend ahead. 

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Who is Père Noël? Reimagining Santa Claus

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On December 30, 2023

In All Posts, Quebec, Traditions

It’s still the winter holiday season, which means we’re seeing plenty of advertisements and depictions of Santa Claus all around us. There are endless variations of this character throughout the world, but, for the most part, he’s a jolly man donned in red and white. 

In French-Canadian culture, a version of Santa named Père Noël emerged after World War I as Christmas became more commercialized in Québec. Prior to Père Noël, Christmas among French-Canadians was a quiet, solemn day to recognize the birth of Christ. The Baby Jesus was even the one who brought children their gifts! 

This isn’t the first time I’ve researched French-Canadian winter holiday traditions, as seen in my presentation about its folklore and role in Franco-American culture. However, as I thought about holidays like Le Réveillon, La Fête des Rois, and the primary role New Year’s Eve used to have in our culture, I wondered if we could ever fully revive these customs. 

While discussing this topic with friends, we determined that Santa Claus with a ceinture flechée would be an interesting getup. So, here’s what I’ve come up to makeover Saint Nick as the French-Canadian gift-giver, Père Noël. 

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The Top Franco-American Moments of 2023

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On December 30, 2023

In All Posts, Franco-American History, Franco-American Stories, Quebec, Traditions

On Christmas Eve 2022, I made my first-ever tourtière. It was my own history-making moment in rediscovering the slightest bit of Franco-American culture I had grown up with and determined to learn more about. I didn’t grow up on traditional French-Canadian foods, except for the one time I tried gorton at my memérè’s house in the Summer of 2005. 

So, eighteen years later (and a failed, embarrassing attempt at making gorton like Memérè’s), I decided to make the Holy Grail of traditional French-Canadian foods myself. And it wasn’t bad! I understood the hype at last, just as I had tried poutine for the first time in 2021 (and made my own allergy-free poutine last year). 

For me, putting in this effort is all part of the revival process to make our culture something recognizable to the public eye and even ourselves.

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Opening Pandora’s Box: The Life and Times of Grace Metalious

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On September 29, 2023

In All Posts, Franco-American History, Franco-American Stories, Women's History

Grace Metalious was an American writer and author best known for her novel Peyton Place, a book controversial for her time but one of the best-selling works in publishing history. Her writing sprung her into the spotlight overnight, giving Grace the sought-after status of being a serious writer.

However, along with fame and fortune came destruction as the people around Grace took advantage of her finances. Of these situations, the ones that did the most damage included her publishing agent embezzling her money, Grace herself spending lavishly on so-called “friends,” and a lover who insisted that she spend more money than she should, causing her to lose most of her hard-earned fortune in the process.

Despite this, the novel became worth so much more and still stands the test of time, something that even Grace believed would never happen. This is the story of Grace Metalious, a woman turned housewife turned wealthy author, and how her legacy stands today.

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A Future for Anglophone Franco-Americans

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On July 21, 2023

In All Posts, Franco-American History, Franco-American Stories

It’s not difficult to know what’s expected of Anglophone Franco-Americans through discourse in our social circles. The criticism for not speaking French fluently as soon as we discover or rediscover our roots keeps coming back around as a cause of death for our culture. 

In my experience, I’ve received critical responses online about writing this blog in English. I’ve read online discussions with some proclaiming that we have no heritage or culture left just because we’re English-speaking Franco-Americans in a majority Anglophone country. 

Although I’m working on learning French and am beginning to understand simple sentences and lightly converse, I will always be an Anglophone. And I don’t find it conflicting with my Franco-American heritage at all. 

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A History of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day in the United States

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On June 24, 2023

In All Posts, Franco-American History, Quebec, Traditional Dress and Folk Costume, Traditional Music and Folklore

What is Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day? 

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day is a national holiday that began in the province of Québec celebrated by French-Canadians, Québécois, and Franco-Americans. Celebrated on June 24th, this holiday honors the traditional feast day of St. John the Baptist. However, the religious background of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day has become less prevalent in favor of a more secular approach. 

What we know as Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day today comes more from French-Canadian businessman Ludger Duvernay. In 1834, Duvernay attended a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration in Montréal and became inspired by the display of cultural pride. So, he got the idea of French-Canadians having a similar holiday, and shortly after, Duvernay formed the Saint Jean-Baptiste Society. The first official Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day was celebrated on June 24, 1834. 

Also called “La St-Jean” and “Fête nationale du Québec,” the holiday is mainly known today as a celebration of Québec Francophone culture. Think of how we celebrate the Fourth of July in the U.S. with parades, family get-togethers, barbeques, picnics, bonfires, and fireworks; that’s how our Northern cousins kick off Fête nationale! 

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16 Flags of French Heritage in North America: Part 2

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On May 25, 2023

In All Posts

There are 16 Flags for French-Heritage People in North America: Which One Represents You?

Wrapping up the French-Canadian flags from Part 1, this flag series continues with the last two of the flags of French-Canada. So, let’s cover these two flags and move on to the flags of Franco-America and Acadie!

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16 Flags of French Heritage in North America: Part 1

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On May 12, 2023

In All Posts, Quebec

There are 16 Flags for French-Heritage People in North America: Which One Represents You? 

When you think of French-speaking people in North America, you may think exclusively of Quebec in Canada. However, many communities of French-Canadians throughout Canada speak French fluently. In the United States, descendants of French-Canadian immigrants are also recognized. 

With so many people of French descent in North America, groups and organizations have come together to keep their culture alive and discover long-lost cousins across borders! 

Altogether, there are 16 flags to discuss among Québécois & French-Canadians, Acadians, and Franco-Americans. 

Check out Part 1 below! Links have been added for some of the flags and I will update this post if I find links for the remaining flags.

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An Introduction to French-Canadian Folklore & Franco-American Culture

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On March 3, 2023

In All Posts, Franco-American History, Franco-American Stories, Quebec, Traditional Dress and Folk Costume, Traditional Music and Folklore, Traditions

Salut, everyone! I’m giving a virtual Valley Talk presentation with the Museum of Work and Culture on March 5th at 1:30pm Eastern Time. Register for the talk for a deep dive into multiple aspects of French-Canadian folklore, from storytelling to dance to music to visuals. 

Valley Talks: Visualizing Franco-American Culture Through French-Canadian Folklore

To prepare for the presentation, let’s do an introduction to French-Canadian folklore and what it means for Franco-American culture. 

In this post, I’ll highlight folklore as a whole, whether French-Canadians have visual culture, French-Canadian folklore, and whether we’re too modernized for these practices today. 

Check out my virtual Valley Talk to learn about these ideas and concepts in more depth during my presentation! 

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New Ice Hockey Team in Québec: Hit the Ice with La Force de Montréal!

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On November 27, 2022

In All Posts, Hockey, Quebec, Sports

On August 30th, the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) announced the exciting news of a women’s ice hockey team in Montréal.

The new team, called La Force de Montréal, will hit the ice in towns across Québec including Gatineau, Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup, Saint-Jérôme, and Sept-Îles. These towns will host La Force for “home games” to introduce the team to the province.

President of La Force de Montreal, Kevin Raphaël, speaks at the August 30th announcement for the team. Video credit: PHF YouTube channel.

La Force will be based in Verdun outside Montréal at Centre 21.02, the high-performance hockey center for female athletes. Former Team Canada coach Danièle Sauvageau will lead the team. 

Sauvageau says there needs to be a bridge in the gap between women’s university hockey and Canada’s national team. La Force looks to fill in that need for women’s ice hockey. 

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