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♪ Santa dedicates this to the many different cultural traditions of Christmas. Elf lollipop Leroux lived in southern Louisiana while helping Elf Cottoncandy Clotille open Arcadian Christmas Radio Station, 92.3 ELF Radio - Where Christmas Lives in Cajun Country! She has sister elves living there too and other family members. Santa and she wish everyone a Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas. (This is part of a series of videos that inform children about Christmas traditions and cultural differences in the way this holiday is celebrated around the world.) No copy infraction intended on my videos. Thanks for watching!

Cajun Traditions:

The Christmas season is doubly blessed in Acadiana. The Cajun population of south Louisiana is predominantly Catholic and the birth of Christ is a sacred reason for them to celebrate. Also, Cajuns as a rule simply love to socialize, so their Christmas holidays often abound with visits, parties, parades, food, spirited drinks, gifts, decorated homes, and community festival of light celebrations.

They try to give Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer a little help to find his way on Christmas Eve with their traditional bonfires. Some of the most well known are one hundred 30 feet plus tall bonfire structures, built of wood, firecrackers, and occasionally bamboo along the Mississippi River levee. People come together and usually start building during the Thanksgiving break from school. Christmas Eve if it's not a "Cajun Snowstorm" is enjoyed with a bonfire, pot of gumbo, fireworks, and a lawn-chair. All are welcome to join the merriment. It is explained, they were originally built long ago before the Levee's were built, to help friends of the family find the inlets or slips coming off the river to the homes of those they wanted to visit on Christmas Eve. It was also a good way to encourage the children to help keep the inlet clear of the continuous build-up of washed up debris and driftwood.

Around the world Santa Claus has many names; but in the deep, swampy bayous of Louisiana, he's known as Papa Noël. In such a hot and humid place, there can be no sleds or reindeer, so Papa Noël rides the water ways in a boat that's pulled by eight alligators, with a snowy white one named Nicollette in the lead.

When the bonfires are down to embers, thousands of people will break away for midnight Mass; many Cajun families continue their tradition of attending midnight mass services together on Christmas Eve. The beautifully decorated church sanctuaries, wonderful music of the season, and timeless story of the nativity are spiritually rewarding to the late-night devotees. Some older Creoles recall "breakfast dances" which were held in some of the clubs after midnight mass until sunrise.

Several Louisiana towns have festivities described as "festivals of light" during the Christmas season. These Yuletide celebrations with brilliant lighting displays become a nightly showcase in December. They can include live entertainment, food fair, arts and crafts show, story-telling, dramatic presentations and spectacular fireworks shows. One of the most well known is in Natchitoches.

.•:*¨Joyeuses Fêtes¨*:•.

.•:*¨Happy Holidays¨*:•.