194 THEISLAND ACADIANS 
     
    
   
   
    
     Before getting into bed one crossed oneself with holy water and said 
     
     a short invocation such as: 
     
    
   
   
    
     Holy water I taketh you 
     
    

    
     On my body, on my blood. 
     
     Holy Guardian Angel 
     
    

    
     Please remain with me 
     
    

    
     The whole night through. (TR)°° 
     
    
   
   
    
     And thus ended in prayer a typical day for an Acadian. 
     
    

    
     In addition to these prayers encouraged but not imposed by the 
     
     Church, there were certain religious obligations that had to be ob- 
     
     served at the risk of mortal sin. On Fridays, Catholics abstained from 
     
     eating meat. The interdiction was not lifted until 1965. The Church 
     
     required that every person in good health attend Sunday Mass; it was 
     
     in Latin until 1965. Often Sunday Mass was followed by another 
     
     religious service, the blessing of the Holy Sacrament, which took place 
     
     during the summer months on Sunday afternoon after Vespers and 
     
     was attended by many parishioners. Sunday was, of course, a day of 
     
     compulsory rest; ordinary tasks were set aside completely and only 
     
     with the priest’s permission could one, in case of necessity, work in 
     
     the fields, for example. Even small tasks like knitting were forbidden 
     
     on the Lord’s Day. 
     
    
   
   
    
     FROM BIRTH TO DEATH 
     
    
   
   
    
     The important stages of the life of the individual were marked 
     
     by a series of rituals, both profane and religious. As soon after birth 
     
     as possible the baby was baptized by the parish priest. The godfather 
     
     and godmother were usually chosen from within the family circle. 
     
     Generally the child was given a name with a religious significance. 
     
     Biblical names such as Judith, Moise, Elie and Sara were just as popular 
     
     as saints’ names like Bruno, Anne, Frangois and Madeleine. Almost 
     
     every family had at least one Joseph and one Marie. Tradition also 
     
     dictated that parents name children after the saint whose feast day 
     
     coincided with their birthday. 
     
    

    
     The most important religious ritual during childhood was cer- 
     
     tainly First Communion which, at the beginning of this century, took 
     
     place at the age of twelve. This important stage in the Catholic religion