Centre Acadien, Université Sainte-Anne

Religious and superstitious practices and beliefs - Many of the religious and superstitious beliefs held by our Acadian ancestors relate to the sea.

In Acadia, the tradition of blessing the fishing fleet began in the 1930s. In Clare, as in most fishing villages, this religious ceremony took place during the summer, during the local Acadian festival. The community gathered to see the priests bless the boats, which were often adorned with flags and other decorations. During this time, a priest also blessed any newly-launched boats.

The photo shows Monsignor Émile Bourneuf (1884-1976), a native of Grosses Coques, NS, blessing the fleet in Meteghan, NS in 1950.

According to research in oral tradition, nineteenth century Acadians held a wide array of superstitious beliefs. In Clare, several superstitions are linked to marine occupations. For example, if a rat fled from a boat before leaving port, the boat would be lost at sea.

Whistling at sea would call forth the wind. It was considered unlucky to board a boat with a black suitcase or gray mittens. To ensure good luck, it was better to fish with white mittens. It is said that even today, some fishermen remain suspicious and always take precautions to avoid bad luck at sea.

The old ways of weather prediction were also based on superstitions. Given that the most important activities included fishing, navigation and agriculture, it is not surprising that our ancestors sought to develop ways of predicting what the weather and seasons would bring. For fishermen, their lives could even depend on their predictions. Here are a few examples: when dogs eat grass, there will be a storm; when one can see many stars, the weather will be bad; finally, when crows fly towards the shore, good weather is on the way.

Topic: Community Life

Date: [ca. 1950]

Reference: Albert Melanson Collection Centre Acadien Photo 3

For more information, visit the Centre Acadien website.