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rfmcdonaldThe Acadians on my Facebook friends list have reminded me that today the 15th of August is the Fête nationale de l'Acadie, the Acadian national holiday selected by the first national convention of the Acadians in the New Brunswick community of Memramcook back in 1881, picking the day of the Assumption of Mary so as to honour the virgin mother of Christ who is the patron saint of the traditionally very Roman Catholic Acadians.
Besides being a holiday of note, the 15th of August is important because it is doubly proof of Acadians' self-identified peoplehood, not only as a people full stop but as a people distinct from the much larger French Canadian community (now Québécois, Franco-Ontarians, and others) descended from the Canadiens of New France. Acadians, as English Wikipedia notes, made it clear that the then-two centuries of separate existence were set to continue.
So did Acadians decide that Acadia would continue to exist, a nation without a state of any kind. (The Parti acadien of the 1970s that hoped to create an Acadian province of Francophone northern and northeastern New Brunswick never took off.) So does it exist today.
Besides being a holiday of note, the 15th of August is important because it is doubly proof of Acadians' self-identified peoplehood, not only as a people full stop but as a people distinct from the much larger French Canadian community (now Québécois, Franco-Ontarians, and others) descended from the Canadiens of New France. Acadians, as English Wikipedia notes, made it clear that the then-two centuries of separate existence were set to continue.
Abbot Marcel-François Richard, who favored August 15, is believed to have had an influence on the decision with the speech he gave at the convention. His arguments were:... In fact, it seems to me that a people who, for over a century of hardships and persecutions, was able to preserve its religion, language, customs and autonomy, must have acquired enough importance to affirm its existence in a solemn way; and this could not be accomplished better than by being able to celebrate its own national holiday... Allow me, at this time, to point out a few of the motives that will encourage you to choose Our Lady of Assumption as National Acadian Day instead of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Since Canadians have chosen Saint-Jean-Baptiste as their patron, it seems to me that unless you wish to mistake our nationality with theirs, it is crucial that Acadians choose a particular holiday. It is important to stress that we are not descendants of Canada, but of France. Consequently, I see no reason why we should adopt the Saint-Jean-Baptiste as our national holiday... We must choose a holiday that reminds us of our origin. I am even going to go as far as to affirm that the Assumption has always been, and must always remain, National Acadian Day, since Acadians are descendants of the French race. Louis XIII vowed to give his empire to the Blessed Virgin and he wanted the Assumption to be the kingdom's national holiday. However, not long afterwards, he sent colonists to take over Acadia. They did, however, have to bring the customs of their homeland along, and if unfortunate circumstances prevented them from celebrating their national holiday in a regular manner, it is true that the national devotion of the Acadians is their devotion to Mary.
So did Acadians decide that Acadia would continue to exist, a nation without a state of any kind. (The Parti acadien of the 1970s that hoped to create an Acadian province of Francophone northern and northeastern New Brunswick never took off.) So does it exist today.
