Will Dunckelman is proud of his heritage.Dunckelman, who is of Cajun French descent, loves the distinct background of his Cajun family, especially the Christmas traditions he grew up with and still practices.Dunckelman, political science sophomore, was born and raised in Houma in a strong Cajun and Catholic community. He remembers all his family’s special customs.”There are some very unique traditions in the Cajun community,” said Dunckelman, who founded a Facebook group for the Association for the Advancement of Cajun-Americans. “There are things I remember doing as a small child that I still do today and will definitely do with my own family.”Christmas is historically an important time of the year for family, food and festivities for Cajuns and Creoles, said Steve Fullen, executive director at BREC’s Magnolia Mound Plantation.Cajuns are the descendants of French-speaking settlers who migrated from Nova Scotia. Creoles are the descendants of French, Spanish and African immigrants who settled in Louisiana.While Cajun French and Creoles are different groups, many of their traditions are similar.”A lot of what we know about Christmas is distinctly English,” Fullen said. “But the Creole community has historically had very different traditions, many of which have carried over to today.”Fullen said a traditional Creole Christmas centers on the family and includes deep Catholic traditions, such as midnight mass, bonfires, a meal of wild game and fowl, sweets and fireworks.”Christmas is extremely important to the Creole community, largely because of its Catholic traditions,” Fullen said. “In historic times, the holiday was important enough to completely shut down a working plantation, something that rarely ever happened. For slaves, who were raised Catholic, Christmas was important enough to have time off, and if it was that important to them, it was even more so for the planter class.”BREC’s Magnolia Mound Plantation, located at 2161 Nicholson Drive, was once a working French-Creole plantation and today hosts tours and exhibits of Creole life between 1800 and the 1830s.The plantation is decorated with traditional Creole trimmings and incorporates Christmas traditions into its tour for the Christmas season. It has also opened an exhibit exploring Christmas customs and practices in Southern Louisiana, especially those practiced by African Diaspora communities.Many of the traditions practiced in Creole and Cajun communities in the past have carried over through the generations, though many have melded with Anglican traditions, Fullen said.Several University students still practice the same traditions as their ancestors. Bonfires can be still be seen along the Mississippi River on Christmas Day, lighting the way for “Père Noel,” and many families still shoot off fireworks. For Matthew Lafleur, Christmas is always a time to get together with his family.”I think more than most families we have a strong sense of togetherness,” the education graduate student said. “I’m not saying that everyone always gets along with everyone else, but there is definitely a sense of duty when it comes to getting together during the holidays. I think that stems from the Cajun culture – that although you may not always get along with your family members, it’s your responsibility to be there for them and respect them.”Dunckelman said one of the most important traditions in a Cajun French home was the crèche, or nativity scene.Dunckelman and his family gather every Christmas Eve at his grandfather’s house around the crèche and watch as the youngest member of the family lay the baby Jesus in the manger.Dunckelman and his family would then go to midnight mass in at a small Cajun church before returning home to open presents.”We incorporated American traditions in, but these Cajun traditions are what stick out,” Dunckelman said. “To me it’s integral I incorporate these traditions into the family I have one day. Cajun culture is definitely fading away, and it is traditions like these I want to preserve.”- – – -Contact Jake Clapp at [email protected]