Cajuns celebrate the holidays like everyone else — minus a few unique southern traditions.
By ExploreLouisiana.com Staff
Cajun Holiday Meals
Many holiday dinners include havingseafood disheslikeseafood gumboandoyster dressing. Look for Cajun sausage and fried turkey — or a signatureLouisiana turducken! Bread pudding, pralines, fudge candy, pound cake and divinity are some of the desserts served.
Christmas Eve in Cajun Country
Cajuns follow a slightly different version of the “Night Before Christmas.” The “Cajun Night Before Christmas” is read in local lingo and follows a similar story line except gumbo replaces sugar plums, Santa is dressed head to toe in muskrat pelts and instead of reindeer and sleighs, alligators pull Santa in a flying skiff (small boat used in coastal areas).
Wander through the thousands of lights at the Noel Acadien au Village in Lafayette.
Bonfires on the Levee
Christmas Traditions & Events
Lafayette
Lafayetterings of zydeco beats throughout the holiday season at their annualCajun & Creole Christmas Celebrations.The celebrations include everything from Christmas markets, concerts, local eats, holiday window displays, caroling and a Movies in the Parc season finale. You’ll want to check outNoel Acadien au Villageto view more than 500,000 lights illuminating the night, LED displays, carnival rides, local cuisine and photos with Santa. The living history village of Vermilionville hostsOld Time Winter at Vermilionville, an event where families can see how winter traditions in the Cajun country of yesteryear looked. Meet Papa Noël, decorate cookies, make bousillage ornaments and more. Watch Vermilionville’s artisans as they demonstrate winter traditions of the Acadian, Creole and Native American cultures such as open hearth cooking and making candles, soap and natural decorations.View this holiday event calendar for Lafayette and the surrounding areas for complete schedules and information.
Lake Charles & New Orleans
Out west in the Lake Charles area, enjoy theLight Up the Lake Christmas Celebrationfireworks extravaganza, and Sulphur's Christmas Under the Oaks Festival at the Brimstome Museum Complex for carnival rides and holiday shopping. And over east, the Louisiana Northshore has a helpful guide to experience 10 Ways to Holidayin the area. Be sure to make a short trip to New Orleans for Celebration in the Oaks, a tradition since the 1980s.
Delcambre, Thibodaux & Golden Meadow
Of course, every Louisiana celebration requires a parade. Check out theDelcambre Christmas Boat Parade, the Thibodaux Christmas Parade and theGolden MeadowChristmas Boat Parade and Gumbo Cook-Off.
Christmas Eve Bonfires
Additionally, every Christmas season on the Mississippi River levees above Highways 44 and 18, dozens of log structures are built for an enormous display ofbonfires. Though traditionally these log piles are built to resemble narrow pyramids, local residents who build them get creative. Think: elaborate log cabins, trains or swamp creatures. Fires are set on Christmas Eve in an absolutely breathtaking display. Learn more about thehistory of the bonfires.
Discover even more Christmas events in Northern Louisiana on theHoliday Trail of Lights, where you can celebrate with eight cities across central and northern Louisiana.
