Live Life Team
Spicy seafood, Cajun music, free for all dancing and traditions spanning centuries are all part of a traditional Acadian wedding. Though Roman Catholicism plays a big part in Cajun history and culture, some traditions, dating back to pre-Christian times, are very much on centre stage. It is thought that many of these traditions survived, because of the minimal contact between the Cajun people and the orthodox clergy of the time.
Though the white dress, groom in suit and wedding party are commonly seen, some of the more interesting customs are still practiced. Sometimes older, unmarried brothers and sisters may have to dance barefoot, often in a washtub, at the wedding dance or reception. This is a more than subtle hint that they had better find a partner of their own and start a family before they have no one to take care of them in their old age.
Guests help the new couple get a head start in their new life by contributing money, often pinned to the bride’s veil in exchange for a kiss or a dance. Sometimes, at the end of the wedding dance, the bride will look as though she is wearing a headdress made of money. In more recent times, the groom is similarly “pinned” with money gifts that often coverer his suit jacket.
In more rural locations, it is not uncommon to hold the wedding dance in a commercial hall and contribute the entrance fees to the wedding couple. Another custom is for guests to bring chicks from their farms so that the bride can start a flock of her own, a tradition known as “flocking the bride”.
