| Treasured Traditions of Old New Orleans |
| Christmas in the Quarter |
| The Creole Tradition of Le Reveillon |
| Christmas at The Roosevelt |
| Celebration in the Oaks |
| Feux de Joie on River Road |
| The city has unique traditions from its French heritage and others from the influence of the Spanish, German, African-American, Italian and Irish who settled in New Orleans long ago. The French Quarter, Uptown area and Garden District, with their lovely old buildings and homes, are always ablaze with color and lights during the Christmas holidays. There are candlelight tours of these neighborhoods and historic homes; cooking demonstrations at the Herman Grima house are particularly well known for the authentic representations of Christmas Past in New Orleans. |
| During the holiday season, the block-long lobby of The Roosevelt Hotel turned into a Christmas wonderland. The tradition of decorating the lobby in a canopy of angel hair was started in 1930.. Eleven tons of angel hair and 100,000 lights were used. For generations of New Orleanians,the lobby was a must-see during the holidays. The historic hotel was damaged in the levee failures in 2005 and sat empty for 4 years. But, it re-opened in July, 2009, and this year, we can once again see The Roosevelt's holiday display. See the Roosevelt Christmas page. |
| Christmas with Mr. Bingle |
| Christmas at Al Copeland's |
| Al Copeland, founder of Popeye's Fried Chicken, grew up without benefit of a lot of the material things of life. When he achieved success, he remembered his childhood Christmas visits to the Centanni home and his long ago wish to give the children of the city a holiday experience they wouldn't forget. From the 1980's until his death in 2008, he decorated and opened his home in suburban New Orleans every holiday season, to the joy and delight of thousands of visitors who made it a tradition. Beginning in 2009, the display has been exhibited in Lafreniere Park so the tradition can continue to delight visitors. |
| Like many of New Orleans' Christmas customs, Le Reveillon came from the city's French heritage. In the 1800's, those who attended Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve had fasted from the previous midnight. They emerged from St. Louis Cathedral quite hungry and eagerly headed home to the Reveillon dinner. After all but disappearing in the latter half of the 20th century, Le Reveillon has experienced a new popularity and many restaurants now feature Reveillon menus, usually offered during the entire week before Christmas. I understand that Le Reveillon has never lost its popularity in France and the traditional Christmas Eve dinner is held in every part of that country; and, also, in the French speaking parts of Canada. (The word 'reveillon' means 'awakening'---as in a symbolic awakening to the meaning of Christ's birth.) A typical Reveillon dinner included 4 to 7 courses and the menu traditionally featured daube glace, roast goose or pheasant, oyster gumbo, egg dishes, sweetbreads, crystallized fruits, Buche de Noel (a cake in the shape of a log to resemble the birch log burned in the fireplace on Christmas Eve), brandy, fresh egg nog and dark roast coffee. Above are cookies baked in traditional Reveillon shapes. |
| Other Old New Orleans Traditions |
There are lots of other New Orleans and south Louisiana traditions, some very old
and some fairly new. So many of the old traditions have disappeared over the
years, though many are still holding strong or have enjoyed a resurgence. Here
are a few of the older, now less frequently seen customs:
In the 1800's, children would put their shoes in front of the fireplace, in the hopes
that Pere Noel would fill them with gifts. Also, candy, fruit, nuts and small toys
would be hung on the tree overnight.
After Le Reveillon, it was customary to leave a candle burning, in case the Virgin
Mary passed by. In certain villages in France, this is still done in every household
and is known as the Fete de Lumieres, wherein the whole village will be lighted,
house by house, to pay homage to the Virgin Mary.
Mistletoe was hung above the door during the Christmas season, not so that a
suitor could steal a kiss, but to bring good fortune throughout the year.
On Christmas Eve the traditional birch log was lit from last season's charred
remains and would be kept burning until January 6. This is a Scottish & Irish
tradition, as well as a French one.
On Christmas Eve, a young girl would try to discover te name or initials of her
future true love. One of these customs involved melting lead and letting it run
into cold water through a metal ring to se which shpaes it took. Another method
was to fill a bowl with water and let it freeze on a window sill. On Christmas
morning, the girl looked at the loops which had formed in the ice to discover the
initials of her future suiter.
One custom was for a young lady to choose four young men, assign a corner of
the ceiling of her room to each and whichever corner was the first she saw upon
awakenig, would ean that whoever was named to that corner was the person she
was going to marry.
and some fairly new. So many of the old traditions have disappeared over the
years, though many are still holding strong or have enjoyed a resurgence. Here
are a few of the older, now less frequently seen customs:
In the 1800's, children would put their shoes in front of the fireplace, in the hopes
that Pere Noel would fill them with gifts. Also, candy, fruit, nuts and small toys
would be hung on the tree overnight.
After Le Reveillon, it was customary to leave a candle burning, in case the Virgin
Mary passed by. In certain villages in France, this is still done in every household
and is known as the Fete de Lumieres, wherein the whole village will be lighted,
house by house, to pay homage to the Virgin Mary.
Mistletoe was hung above the door during the Christmas season, not so that a
suitor could steal a kiss, but to bring good fortune throughout the year.
On Christmas Eve the traditional birch log was lit from last season's charred
remains and would be kept burning until January 6. This is a Scottish & Irish
tradition, as well as a French one.
On Christmas Eve, a young girl would try to discover te name or initials of her
future true love. One of these customs involved melting lead and letting it run
into cold water through a metal ring to se which shpaes it took. Another method
was to fill a bowl with water and let it freeze on a window sill. On Christmas
morning, the girl looked at the loops which had formed in the ice to discover the
initials of her future suiter.
One custom was for a young lady to choose four young men, assign a corner of
the ceiling of her room to each and whichever corner was the first she saw upon
awakenig, would ean that whoever was named to that corner was the person she
was going to marry.
| Back to Christmas in Old New Orleans Old New Orleans - Index Nancy's Holiday Pages Whispers - Home Friday's Journal |
| Christmas at the Centanni Home |
| To read more about the Centanni home, visit my web page: Christmas at the Centanni's |
| Left, peristyle; above, park's train depot. |
| Please don't send this whole page in an e-mail message or document format. Please send only the link, either by using the form to the right or by copying & pasting the link onto an e-mail message. The link to this page is: html://www.thepastwhispers.com/NO_Treasured_Traditions |
| Several pictures on this page are courtesy of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. |
| Let's spend Christmas in Old New Orleans. We'll take a walk back in time through the French Quarter to get a glimpse of the old Creole Christmas customs. Maybe, after going to St. Louis Cathedral on Christmas Eve, someone will invite us in to share Le Reveillon. Then, we'll come into the 20th century and stroll through the lobby of the old Roosevelt Hotel and take in the magic of the angel hair decorations. And, of course, we have to stop by Maison Blanche to visit Mr. Bingle! Then, on to D. H. Holmes to marvel at the holiday window display. While we're in that time period, why don't we travel up Canal Street and stop at the Centanni home to see what Mr. Sam and Miss Myra have added to the scene on their lawn this year? We'll watch in wonder, as the children we used to be are mesmerized once again by the long ago lights and animated displays. We can travel to the more recent past -- and the present -- to visit Celebration in the Oaks in City Park. And we can't forget Al Copeland's house. After that, we'll make our way out to River Road for the Feux de Joie. After the bonfires are lit, we'll probably be getting tired, so we can go home and settle back to wait for Pere Noel. But, before we go to sleep, we'll turn on Channel 4 and watch Frank Davis introduce Benny Grunch and the Bunch. Say, did you know that "Santa and His Reindeer Used to Live Right Here!" Well, of course....where else? |
| Every Christmas Eve, Pere Noel (Papa Christmas), or so the legend goes, is guided to south Louisiana by the bonfires (feux de joie = fires of joy) along the Mississippi River levee. This tradition has its roots in France and was brought to Louisiana many generations ago by the Acadians who migrated to the southern part of the state from Canada and elsewhere. Exiled and far away from their homeland, it's said that the fires lit the way so Pere Noel could find them in their new homes at Christmas. Another legend is that the fires are a symbolic lighting of the way for the Christ Child. For miles and miles, the river levee is dotted with bonfires, most built in a typical pyramid shape, some very intricately designed in shapes of houses, pirogues and other symbols of south Louisiana. From an airplane, the river's course is outlined by the glow. Visit the Feux de Joie page. |
| Mr. Bingle began his life as a puppet in a window display at the Maison Blanche department store. Eventually, he became so popular, he had his own local TV show. A little snowman, with an ice cream cone for a hat, during his heyday from the 1940's-1970's, he was dear to the hearts of all of the children of New Orleans. After M.B. on Canal Street was sold, Mr. Bingle adorned the Dillard's store at Lakeside Shopping Center for several years. Now he sits in a place of honor in City Park's Celebration in the Oaks, still warming the hearts of children of all ages. Visit Mr. Bingle's page. |
| City Park's Celebration in the Oaks has grown more elaborate every season and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. With its backdrop of massive, ancient oak trees and two million lights, it's a truly amazing experience. Although the driving tour has not returned since the flooding, the park train is running and the lights are back in the Botanical Gardens, Carousel Gardens and Storyland; other new features have been added. And the park's carousel, the second oldest carousel still in operation in the U.S., was brought back to life in November, 2007, after two years of intensive restoration following the levee failures. |
