Social and Cultural Life 37

In addition to these celebrations, which took place at the level of the neighbourhood or the village, there were also annual events that involved everyone in the parish. The three main events were the Corpus Christi procession, the church picnic for the benefit of the parish, and the blessing of the fleet.

The Agricultural Exhibition, held for the first time in 1903, has become the biggest event in the Evangeline Region. With the creation of the Acadian Festival in 1971, the Exhibition took on a socio-cultural dimension designed to promote Acadian culture. The event is now called L’Exposition agricole et le Festival acadien de la région Evangéline. This impressive three-day event attracts large crowds, who come to celebrate and applaud the rich culture of this small Acadian region.

The blessing of the fleet in Mont-Carmel, circa 1930. (STTA, Musée acadien Collection)

“The blessing of the fleet takes place every year on the shore of several Acadian villages at the opening of the fishing season. The boats start arriving several minutes before the appointed time. They are all freshly painted and decorated with Marian flags or other kinds of flags.

Each fisherman, very often accompanied by his wife and children, steers his boat to the spot where the blessing is going to take place.... .

After all the boats have arrived, the parish priest or another priest, wearing the appropriate liturgical vestments and assisted by altar boys, goes on board a boat that has been specially decorated for the occasion.

The people who are not in the boats gather on the shore and watch with envy the boats being gently cradled by the waves....

The most important and most solemn part of the ceremony on the water is the singing of Vespers. After that, the choir sings Ave Maris Stella. The boat with the priest and the altar boys moves away while the other boats stay still and the priest sprinkles the boats and the crowd with holy water...”

Abbé Emmanuel Richard, Album Souvenir des Fetes du bi-centenaire chez les Acadiens de I'lle-du-Prince-Edouard, 1955, p. 43.