Halloween is coming up, and this weekend Acadiana residents will have the opportunity to celebrate one of the most-anticipated fall holidays in a way that honors the region's French roots — specifically, our links to the Celtic region of Brittany, France.
Many Cajuns can trace their old-world ancestry to Brittany, the northwestern-most part of France where some families still speak Breton, a Celtic-derived language, and celebrate old traditions like Samhain, a festival that marks the beginning of harvest season. Halloween is rooted in part in Samhain traditions, and on Oct. 19 a group of Breton musicians will be in Lafayette, sharing music and cultural bonds.
Breizh Amerika, a nonprofit that promotes cultural links between the United States and Brittany, is bringing the Breizh Amerika Collective to Jim Deggy's Pizza and Brewery in downtown Lafayette for a Celtic Halloween celebration of music (the performers specialize in traditional Breton and Celtic sounds), dance and beer.
The organization already has strong ties to Acadiana, thanks to their involvement in the Celtic Bayou Festival, held annually in Lafayette over St. Patrick's Day weekend. During this year's Celtic Bayou Festival, Breizh Amerika hosted a tent where they educated festival-goers on the area's Celtic ties.
The regions share similarities in music, food and language, according to Brian Theriot of Carencro, who started traveling to Brittany in 2013 to learn more about his family's heritage. He now volunteers with Breizh Amerika alongside the organization's founder, Charles Kergaravat.
Originally from Brittany, Kergaravat grew up in New York in a French and Breton-speaking household, and feels a strong connection to Acadiana based on shared stories of language loss.
“My parents were part of the Breton diaspora,” he said. “When I was growing up they would speak Breton and French to me. More French, but we had a lot of Breton in our house. In the same way Cajun people would have English and French in their house.
“But in Brittany the language is severely endangered, in the same way French is being lost here. That loss is very scary.”
In addition to bringing their music, the nonprofit is also submitting a Breizh Amerika IPA to Gulf Brew, the Acadiana Center for the Art's annual craft beer festival. Gulf Brew will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday throughout downtown Lafayette, and attendees will have the opportunity to sample this Celtic IPA alongside hundreds of other unique beers. The brew will be available during the evening's Celtic Halloween festivities at Jim Deggy's.
Alongside the guests and performers from Brittany, a French television crew from TV5Monde will also be in Lafayette this weekend to document Breizh Amerika and their links to Louisiana's Cajun communities.
The Celtic Halloween Fest will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at Jim Deggy's Pizza and Brewery at 201 Jefferson St., Lafayette, La. There will be a $10 cover charge, and costumes are encouraged.