What People Did For Fun in New France
May Day The farmers worked very hard all year. There were times when they relaxed and had a party. One of those times was May Day held on May 1st of every year. A tree is raised with garlands and streamers hanging from the top. Then the men shoot at the top while a drum and trumpet are played. The seigneur then invites everyone in for breakfast. They ate food liked smoked venison, fresh and smoked fish of every kind, pork cuts, bacon, bread and sweets, poultry, baked beans, pumpkin pies, pea soup, squash cakes and maple sugar candy.
St Martin's Day On this day the farmers paid rent to the seigneur and then went to church. Afterward they ate, sang and danced.
Parties Everyone was religious and went to church every week. On church holidays, no one worked. There were parish parties all through the year. The Roman Catholic Church did not approve of dancing except on certain days. Often these dances lasted far into the night. In the
Home The home is where most people got together to have fun. People loved to play cards. Most homes had a deck of cards. They also loved to play tric-trac (similar to backgammon), checkers and galet. Galet was played on a long narrow table, with a groove all around it. The player tried to slide a flat round pebble (a galet) from one end of the table to the other without it falling into a groove. In the summer, younger children played outside. They floated pieces in the shallow part of the river. They climbed trees. In winter, they played outside in the snow. They also coasted down hills on their sleds.
St Martin's Day On this day the farmers paid rent to the seigneur and then went to church. Afterward they ate, sang and danced.
Parties Everyone was religious and went to church every week. On church holidays, no one worked. There were parish parties all through the year. The Roman Catholic Church did not approve of dancing except on certain days. Often these dances lasted far into the night. In the
Home The home is where most people got together to have fun. People loved to play cards. Most homes had a deck of cards. They also loved to play tric-trac (similar to backgammon), checkers and galet. Galet was played on a long narrow table, with a groove all around it. The player tried to slide a flat round pebble (a galet) from one end of the table to the other without it falling into a groove. In the summer, younger children played outside. They floated pieces in the shallow part of the river. They climbed trees. In winter, they played outside in the snow. They also coasted down hills on their sleds.