National Day of the Acadians Celebration Aug 15
The annual National Day of the Acadians is a wonderful celebration, to be held in St Martinville on August 15th from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. This fun family event at the Acadian Memorial will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the arrival of the Acadians, and will include a full day of activities to celebrate their presence here in Acadiana!.
As part of the festivities, a flotilla of boats going down Bayou Teche in a Eucharistic procession will begin in Leonville with a Mass at 8am and end with a procession to St. Martin de Tours Catholic Church at 4:45pm. (Check the boat schedule below)There will also be a family banner procession, museum activities, refreshments, and free admission to the Acadian Memorial. Check out the schedule of events below, and call 337-394-2258 for information or to volunteer.
Schedule for the National Day of Acadians at the Acadian Memorial
9 :00am Levée de drapeau / flag raising (City Hall)
9:30am Opening reception of exhibit, 250 years of Acadian presence:
The Journey (Acadian Memorial)
10am Table française avec Mavis Frugé (conference room)
11am Vignettes en français (Acadian Memorial) – Skits in French
11:15am King Crawfish (video) (Cultural Heritage Center)
Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site – traditional games
Noon Lunch around the square
1pm Projet Nouvelle Acadie – New Acadia Project (Acadian Memorial)
Dr. Mark Rees and staff – Update on Research
2:00pm Danielle Fontenette – links between Acadians and Afro-Creole cultures
(Cultural Heritage Center)
3pm Chapelet en français with James Theriot (AM)
3:30pm Cajun music with Brazos Huval School of Music
Cajun dance lessons with Brandon Broussard
Jambalaya for purchase (outside the Acadian Memorial)
4 :45pm Gather for Parade of banners
5:00pm Parade of banners and music around church square
IAlso, in honor of the 250th Anniversary of St. Martin de Tours and the arrival of the Acadians, a Eucharistic procession along Bayou Teche will take place from Leonville to St. Martinville.
- Begins with Holy Mass by Bishop Glen John Provost, D.D., Bishop of Lake Charles, at St. Leo’s in Leonville at 8:00 am
- Procession to Landing 9:00 am, Boat Procession departs at 9:30 am
- Stops at Each Church on the Bayou: Arnaudville, Cecilia, Breaux Bridge, Parks fo Rosary and Benediction
- End up in the evening at Evangeline Oak in St. Martinville