What Can We Do to Rebirth the Culture?

For many of us in the United States with a Franco-American or French-Canadian background, we’ve become more and more Americanized with each generation.

Although there’s nothing wrong with this assimilation, we have mostly forgotten the cultural qualities that made us a unique group. 

With Francophonie Month coming up in March and spring around the corner, we can spend this time thinking about who we were and who we are today.

After all, the weeks ahead are a time to remember the rebirth of life, so why not focus on the rebirth of French America? 

We’ve got to start somewhere to relight the spark that never died in the first place. Just like every tulip bulb hidden in the soil, it always grows back no matter how many harsh winters it endures. 

Since creating Moderne Francos, I’ve been using this tagline:

“Where new Franco-American traditions are born!”

And I mean it. 

When I was growing up, my family never had any Franco-American traditions passed down.

The only distinct things I knew were a few French terms; such as saying bureau instead of dresser, Mémère instead of Grandma, and I knew what gorton was. Other than that, I could have been any generic American. To me, being Franco-American was nothing unique or interesting. 

Remembering my upbringing sparked this blog into existence. When asked what my family did for holidays or celebrations as Franco-Americans, I would only have an American answer. 

Inspired by the customs of France, Québec, and days of Franco-American past, I’ve thought about how to create new customs that could become tradition. 

As warmer weather and longer days approach us, we can recreate old springtime traditions that we can make into our own Franco-American or French-Canadian customs! 

Les Cloches du Printemps

So let’s start off March by ringing bells! That’s right, let’s awaken our senses as the springtime flowers begin to wake up themselves.

The ringing of church bells is an Easter Sunday custom in France called Les cloches de Pâques. But we can scale it down to smaller bells such as decorative bells, jingle bells, or handle bells, and make it an ongoing springtime tradition. 

Even if there’s still snow on the ground, with every ring of the bells we can be reminded that spring is here with Les Cloches du Printemps, The Bells of Spring! 

We even make a game of it, especially if you have children! Go for a walk in your area and let them ring the bells every time you see a sign of springtime life.

This could be a flower sprouting from the ground, spotting small animals emerging from their winter sleep, or a patch of fresh green grass poking out from the snow. 

If you’re concerned about your kids making too much noise with jingle bells, opt for a bell with a handle. These bells are easy to silence by taking out the ringer. You could instead instruct your kids to wave to the signs of life with the silenced bells. 

Because bells are associated with Christmas in the United States, we can decorate the bells with flowers to signify the return of spring!

If real flowers aren’t yet visible, fake flowers at your local craft store would work great (and last forever!). Although lavender in France blooms in the summer, it’s another floral symbol of the country that would make a lovely addition.

Get creative with other decorations for the bells, such as soft ribbon or fabric. Use several different bright colored ribbons all at once to make it as beautiful as the arriving flowers around us.

Now decorate your bells and ring in spring with Les Cloches du Printemps!

You get started by checking out this DIY flower wreath I made for this new tradition:

Learn about the Fleur-de-Lis

Speaking of passing on new traditions to your kids, take the time to teach them about the symbol of French heritage and culture, the Fleur-de-Lis! 

This stylized lily has been used to signify royalty, strength, faith, and unity. It’s also the most recognized symbol of French heritage, language, and culture all over the world. 

As I’ve returned to New England, I’m amazed at how many of us embrace the Fleur-de-Lis. We have it on shirts, hats, jewelry, signs, decorations; you name it!

We love our beautiful lily and the many ways it’s stylized. Just like the uniqueness of every lily in nature, each Fleur-de-Lis can look different but the basic shape remains. 

To celebrate our collective Franco culture, especially during Francophonie Month, decorate your home with a vase of colorful lilies. If you have kids, show them the shape of the lilies so they can connect it to the Fleur-de-Lis. 

Another colorful flower that can be an added decoration is the iris, which some believe is the true inspiration of the Fleur-de-Lis. Whether it’s a lily or iris, both flowers create a beautiful atmosphere that reminds us that winter is almost over! 

Put Maple Syrup on Everything!

When I was growing up, my family would put maple syrup on vanilla ice cream, no matter the season. My family’s Franco-American side started this little custom around the 1960s.

Although they aren’t sure if this was directly inspired by Québec la tire, or maple taffy, it still makes a quick and delicious treat.

The maple syrup won’t become a solid taffy with ice cream, but it’s a great alternative if you don’t have access to clean snow. 

But if making proper la tire is your thing, go for it! Not only is it easy to make, it’s enjoyable to watch it being made right in front of you.

It’s amazing how versatile maple syrup is, especially in cooking and baking! So let’s just use it for everything else (if you didn’t already). 

I’ve collected delicious recipes inspired by Québec and its creative use for maple syrup! Plus, some of these recipes are directly from Québécois themselves so you know it’ll be amazing. 

First up, we all know the Tarte Au Sucre is the star of the show in sugary pie delicacies. But why not try a creamy maple version?

The cook behind this recipe says they were inspired by a similar sugar pie found at the Cochon Dingue restaurant in Québec City.

This restaurant changed the game with their version of a sugar pie, using a maple custard instead of brown sugar.

So try your hand at making the wonderful Québécois Maple Cream Pie during Francophonie Month!

This next recipe is pure comfort food. Pouding Chômeur is basically a doughy bread topped with maple syrup.

It has a deep history behind it as a meal made with low cost ingredients during a time of economic difficulty in Québec. Over time, maple syrup was added to the recipe to create the delicious dessert it is today. 

https://foodnouveau.com/recipes/desserts/custards/pouding-chomeur-maple-pudding/

We can’t forget about crepes, so here’s a recipe for Crêpe à la Québécoise. It’s probably the easiest recipe on this list, being a crepe wrapped up with a bacon, cheese, and a maple syrup center. But the simplicity is pure genius.

I wouldn’t leave you without the holy grail of Québec, the famous dish of poutine. You can pretty much customize your poutine any way you’d like it, as long as you have the gravy, fries, and cheese curds. So why not smother that in maple syrup while you’re at it?

Here’s a recipe for Smokey Maple Bacon Poutine, from home chefs who pay homage to the true creators of poutine. They’ve created a sweet and savory balance between the maple, bacon, and fries. And the best part is you can make it from home!

Although I’ve shared recipes using typical household ingredients, I prefer eating a plant-based diet. Because of poutine’s popularity, I thought I’d add this Vegan Maple Bacon Poutine for other plant-based eaters.

This version uses an almond “cheese,” but you could easily find other vegan and plant-based “cheese” recipes online if almonds aren’t your favorite.

It was recently suggested to me that tapioca flour (and tapioca starch) makes an excellent plant-based cheese for poutine, so I also found this wonderful Vegan Poutine for us herbivores. Plus, it’s gluten-free!

One plan I have for this blog is to share Franco-American culture through our food. I love to cook all sorts of meals and bake various desserts to calm my sweet tooth.

I believe that, much like poutine, the rest of our delicacies can be introduced to mainstream American culture and enjoyed.

Another great way to share our culture is to start recreating old traditions or coming up with brand new ones! Just like I created Les cloches du Printemps, we can think of many more customs.

I feel that our culture has lost its distinctive traditions. I know that there’s so much more to being a Franco-American than using French terms and being the only one of my friends who had a Mémère.

Traditions don’t sprout out of nowhere. They must be created and passed down from generation to generation. I believe we can plant the seeds now and be the founders of many customs that will become tradition down the line.

That’s my opinion about sharing our collective Franco culture, so reach out if you end up doing any of the activities above throughout Francophonie Month!