Living in the South ~ Cajun Country ~ Lagniappe

Lagniappe ~ Cajun French for a little bit more.

I spoke in a recent post about how Cajuns celebrate everything. I'm sure you've all heard or know about Mardi Gras. And what a huge party that is!  But did you know that there is a Festival that takes place at least once a month, and once a week throughout the summer, somewhere in the state of Louisiana? These people know how to have a good time. The festivals celebrate everything from the Yam, to Rice, to Buggys, to Pirates. You name it and there is a Festival for it.
The town we lived in, Crowley, is known as the Rice Capital of America and is famous for The International Rice Festival. The Int'l Rice Festival is one of the largest and oldest agricultural festivals in the South, with over 100,000 people attending in a three day period. I had the distinction of being this Festival's organizer for three years. I learned a lot about special event planning. And this opportunity gave my OCD  organizational skills a chance to shine. Do you need an event planned for 75,000 to 100,000 people? I'm your girl!

I would also like to make note of something that I had not seen since my childhood. The way young kids are allowed to run and play without a lot of grown-up supervision. And yet there is supervision everywhere. Children mind all adults. (especially with the threat, "Don't make me tell your Momma!) And Adults look out for all children.

My long red hair was a source of amazement in south Louisiana. Red hair is a novelty down there because most of the people are of French ancestry and black or brown hair is dominant. Most women have short hair because of the heat and humidity - I'd wear mine in a bun in the summers. I had a lot of people come up to me and ask if they could touch my hair, especially children.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed South Louisiana and felt like this was home, it wasn't long before the hot, humid summers really got to me. I'm not a real heat loving person. And the constant threat of hurricanes in the summer weighed upon us. We had experienced one hurricane while living there (Hubby had experienced more while growing up, but it was fun and games then) and it was a nerve racking experience. The torrential rains, the howling wind and the mini-tornadoes which are spawned from the hurricane are nothing to trifle with. And then the utter destruction in its aftermath. This was the first time I had seen such destruction and it was mind boggling. When I heard a news reporter say, "If you are not prepared to lose absolutley everything you have at least once a year (because of a hurricane), then you shouldn't be living in South Louisiana." I knew he spoke the truth and that we had to move. And well, being the Gypsies that we are, we began looking for another home.

Living in the South ~ New Orleans

I can't write about Louisiana and the South and not mention New Orleans.  We visited there on several occasions. Never at Mardi Gras but we did go one Halloween. Now that was F*U*N!! We haunted the French Quarter on that occasion. There was a Halloween parade complete with Vampires throwing beads through the streets of the French Quarter. And the people who were "Haunting" the Quarter that Halloween night were dressed in costumes of every size, shape and species. We had a good time just sitting on a bench and watching the Ghoulies go by.


New Orleans was everything I had imagined and then some. We did some exploring in the Garden District - an area of New Orleans with some of the best preserved historic Southern mansion in the US. But the French Quarter was where we felt at home. The air was thick with history. The streets echoed with the thousands of feet that had once trod on their stones. The buildings teased and taunted with the stories that were held within their walls. 


We rode streetcars and riverboats. We had beignets and cafe au lait. We saw the Superdome. We visited the site of the Battle of New Orleans. We had a drink in the bar that was once the Pirate Jean Lafitte's blacksmith shop. But one of the most memorable things we did was visit the cemeteries. (Go figure....) The crowding of souls contained in the walls of those cemeteries could be felt even in the heat of the day. But the cemeteries were neither sorrowful nor gloomy but almost had an air of gaiety about them. Perhaps a perpetual party was taking place - it was once a Southern tradition to enjoy a picnic lunch at the cemetery. Relaxing and passing the time on the ancestors' graves. Perhaps those picnics were still taking place.... 

*** I'll continue my Southern ramblings next Tuesday. So don't touch that dial! ***

Living in the South ~ Cajun Country ~ Flora and Fauna

For someone who loves all things green and growing, the sub-tropic climate of South Louisiana was heaven. Especially coming from a part of the country that is brown 7 - 8 months out of the year. But the climate was also very challenging.
I finally had a chance to grow all those gorgeous exotic plants that I had only dreamed about. And there was always someone around that wanted to swap plants. So much fun!! But in that lush climate, plants weren't the only things that thrived. Plant diseases and insect pests also thrived.

But I enjoyed it and I learned a lot. I became a Master Gardener. The schooling for this program is thorough and it greatly expanded my knowledge of plants. And because of this training I became a coach for the local Parish 4H horticultural team. This group of girls and I would travel around to the local nurseries in the Spring learning the identities of plants in preparation for the State competition. That was fun! I encourage everyone out there to take advantage of their local Master Gardeners. Often times these individuals can be found at the local extension office. They are trained to answer questions and assist people who have concerns about their yard, flowers or garden.

And the bugs..... Love-bugs. June-bugs. Mayflies. Cicadas. Crickets. Spiders. Mosquitoes. So many mosquitoes!!!  Chiggers!!  AGH!!  How I hate chiggers! The itch of their bite is worse than a mosquito bite. We had spiders so big that they would build webs across the bayou behind our house. The bayou was more than 10 ft. across.

And then all the other critters. Armadillos and possums living under the house.  Crawfish making castles all over the front yard. And the frogs. The wonderful serenade of frogs every night. We had bullfrogs in our pond. And little green tree frogs everywhere.... in the house, in the car, in the bathtub. And the cats were always bringing something in the house that I had to catch. But I didn't actually 'catch it'. I would find a basket or bowl that would fit over the critter and then when Hubby came home, he'd 'catch it' and take it outside.

But what I will always remember about the plant life there is the Live Oaks. These are absolutely incredible trees. They are one of the few trees that can withstand the forces of a hurricane. They are slow growing trees that do not lose their leaves like other oaks. Live Oaks are considered an evergreen in the same category as a Magnolia. They lose their leaves in the Spring.  The Live Oak Society is a registry of Live oak trees who have a girth of 8 ft. or larger. These trees are considered to be about 50 years old. When they approach 100 yrs., their girth will be at about 16 ft. Incredibly massive trees whose branches sweep so gracefully down to the ground. This is where I discovered my affinity for trees.

Living in the South ~ Cajun Country ~ The People

Living in South Louisiana was quite an adventure. 
But an exciting and fulfilling one!

The Cajun people are warm and welcoming. I immediately felt at home, though I did have to get used to be called, Sugar or Honey. And then there was the touching and hugs and kisses (okay - air kisses). I wasn't used to that! You see I came from an area of the country (Colorado = cold and snow) where people didn't hug and kiss when they saw each other at the store. I guess it's kinda hard to get the full effect of a hug when you're bundled up in two or three layers of clothing. But I got used to it and now have come to expect it. I'm going to miss that familiarity. Maybe I can start a new trend back in Colorado. Or get arrested for assault!

The respect that Cajun children show their elders is something that is now lost in many other areas of the country. Children are taught from the time they can speak to call men Mister and women Miss (followed by the name of the person). I was always called Miss Jeanne. Doors were always held open for me. Made me feel like a Queen! I already miss this! I was raised to respect anyone older than me. To say Please and Thank You. To use Mister or Miss or Mrs. These things all seem to be lost in today's hurried world. Except in the Deep South. 

It was awhile before I could understand everything people were saying to me. I did a lot of smiling and nodding in the first few months. Not only is their accent heavy but French words are quite often thrown into a sentence. And then even those words aren't true French but a bastardized version of French - Cajun French. I seem to have picked up a bit of an accent from the time I spent there. Many people have come up to me and ask where I am from...that they just can't quite place my accent... I just smile at people when I'm ask this and say that I studied abroad....

The sense of Family is strong in the Cajun Culture. The families are large and quite often several generations will live within a few blocks or a few miles of each other. And even though they may argue and carry-on, they are always there for each other during troubled times. And this sense of Family even goes on to include those who aren't even blood relation. This was the first lesson The Universe wanted me to learn from living there.


The Cajun People also have Joie de Vivre. A Joy of Life. They celebrate everything!!! This Love of Life is ingrained in them. It is their heritage. All too frequently they must confront danger and disaster (tornadoes and hurricanes) so they make sure to enjoy the time they have. The Cajuns are a lively, happy people and when one is immersed in the culture like I was, you can't help but enjoy Life! This was the second lesson that I was to learn.


But there is a dark side to everything. Extremes can be seen in many aspects of Life in the South- From the (amount) food that is eaten to the liquor consumed. The division of social classes is still very evident. And people happily accept their 'place' in the social structure of their society. A great number of Cajuns living in rural areas have never been out of the town where they were born, raised, and currently live. And many have nothing more than an 8th grade education. Cajun French is still the only language spoken in many remote areas. And you still hear about people going missing in the swamp....

Grave Houses

Today is Mardi Gras. A fun filled day of celebration and excess that is observed in many Southern regions of the United States. But most especially Louisiana.

So today, we will travel to Louisiana to visit a very special cemetery. One that has only a few unique burial structures left. And the ones that remain are a mystery as to why they were built.

The structures are called Grave Houses and they can be found in Istre Cemetery which is located in Mermentau Cove, Louisiana - Cajun Country. There is evidence to show that there were once hundreds of grave houses erected in this part of Cajun Louisiana but today only three remain. 

A Grave House is a small house which is built over the tomb of the deceased. These structures were actual little houses with walls and working windows and doors. Grave Houses are not to be confused with Grave Shelters which are simply four posts and a roof erected over an inground burial. 

Grave Houses can be found in cultures throughout the world - the Ukraine, the islands of Indonesia. and the Native Peoples of the Americas - but they are not a common burial practice. How the Cajun people came to build them is a mystery. The three remaining Grave Houses date back to the early 1900s and no one is left alive that may know the answer to the mystery.

To read more about Grave Houses, Click Here!  

Or to visit the website for the documentary film made about Grave Houses, Click Here!

** Special Note**  Grave Houses can also be found in other Southern regions of the United States. Though they are scarce and usually in a very bad state of disrepair. Some people are dedicating their time to finding and documenting the few remaining Grave Houses. Click here to read more!