Louisianans embrace roots on National Acadian Day in Nova Scotia

Louisianans are embracing their roots on National Acadian Day in Nova Scotia.

People from the state are among the 30,000 expected to attend a big party happening in southwest Nova Scotia on Thursday. It's part of the World Acadian Congress2024, a celebration of Acadian culture that began on Aug. 10 and ends Aug. 18.

Donna Bourque-Misthos, a Cajun who travelled to Nova Scotia from Louisiana, told Radio-Canada that she wanted "to see where it all started in the New World for my family."

It's her first trip here and she said it's been a great experience so far. She said she has a pot and wooden spoon ready for her firstTintamarre, a traditional Acadian parade in which participants march through the community making noise.

"It's been very emotional. When we went to Grand Pre, a lot of tears and it's been very heartwarming to be embraced by the Acadians of Nova Scotia. When they say 'Welcome home,' it's very special," Bourque-Misthos said.

Jessie LeBlanc, another Cajun from Louisiana, said he came to Nova Scotia for reunions with the LeBlanc, Landry and Gaudet families.

He said his genealogy traces back to early French settlements in Nova Scotia. After the British kicked Acadians out of the region in the mid-1700s, families like hissettled in Louisiana.

"I do not speak French because in my family, in Louisiana, my two older brothers failed first grade because they couldn't speak English well enough," he said.

"So word got out that Cajuns in Louisiana needed to assimilate if you wanted to get ahead in life, so you had to master the English language.So everything French was kind of thrown out and a lot of our French culture down in Louisiana was lost during that period, like the 1930s and 1940s. But it's coming back."

Denise Comeau Desautels, the president of theAcadian Federation of Nova Scotia, told CBC's Information Morning Halifax it's been an exciting week so far in southwest Nova Scotia particularly with all the family reunions.

"There's a lot of resemblancesbetween us from people, from all the Acadians all over the world. We are seeing people from all the states,especially Louisiana, lot of people from Louisiana from Quebec, from New Brunswick, from other parts of Canadaand from France. It's incredible," Comeau Desautelssaid.

Comeau Desautelssaid people want to talk about their genealogy and their connections to Nova Scotia.

"Everybody is really enjoying their time here and tonight is the big concert at the Yarmouth Airport the Tintamarre, which is a parade making a lot of noise to show Acadians are still here and that starts in Clare and ends up in Yarmouth," she said.

Comeau Desautelssaid people are showing pride in their Acadian heritage in a big way.

"There's a lot of Acadian flags everywhere, a lot of Acadian flags," she said.

Billy Nungesser, the lieutenant governor of Louisiana, is also in Nova Scotia for the World Acadian Congress.

He said he'd like to strengthen ties between Nova Scotia,New Brunswick and his state.

"Last night out on the waterfront, we made jambalaya, Louisianans, Canadians pitched in to make it together," Nungesser said.

"The music, the Cajun music, people were joining in all night, sitting together like they've been playing together for years and just picked it up but that friendship, that, like I said, Canadians are like Louisianans. They treat strangers like family."

WATCH | All about the Acadian World Congress:

World Acadian Congress underway in southwest N.S.

29 days ago

Duration 5:36

The event, which happens every five years, is drawing people from across the region and the world. Watch Tom Murphy's interview with Allister Surette, the chair for the organizing committee.