Mi-Carême - French


The Origins of the Mi-Carême
The origin of Mi-Carême is lost in the mists of time. It has been celebrated in many European communities since the Middle Ages.

The essence of the carnival-like Mi-Carême is a spirit of joy, laughter and mockery that contrasts with the Lenten period of austerity, severity and penance leading up to Easter. Lent begins the day after Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Easter. Mi-Carême literally means the middle of Lent.

The Mi-Carême tradition crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the first French-speaking settlers to the New World.

The Mi-Carême Today
During Mi-Carême many people, called les mi-carêmes, disguised from head to toe, visit their neighbours, who try to guess their identity. When the guessing game is over, the mi-carêmes unmask and enjoy a treat before heading to their next destination where the game begins again.

Although once practised in all Acadian communities, it is only still celebrated in the Acadian communities of Saint-Joseph-du-Moine, Magré and Chéticamp.

There are also three communities in the province of Quebec that still celebrate the Mi-Carême: Fatima in the region of Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Îsle-aux-Grues in the region of Chaudière-Appalaches and Natashquan in the region of Côte-Nord.

The Mi-Carême Calendar
Mi-Carême (Mid-Lent) can be as early as the 26th of February and as late as April 1st.

To calculate the date of the Mi-Carême fête, a movable feast that changes each year, you will have to do the following calculations.

Find the date for Easter; that is, the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21st.

Lent, the period of penance before Easter, begins on Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras, and ends on the Saturday before Easter.

Mi-Carême is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the Lenten period. This is the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter.

For many years, the parishes of Chéticamp and Saint-Joseph-du-Moine have celebrated Mi-Carême for one week. The festivities begin the Sunday before the fourth Thursday of Lent and end on the following Saturday.

All info from: http://www.micareme.ca/en/micareme

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Drug Use in High School and College

Image
Drug use and experimentation tend to proliferate on college campuses. For those who can afford this experience, campuses are often a sanctuary for drug use. In high school, drinking alcohol was my only experience with substance use. Right before college, I was required to partake in an online program about alcohol – one that demonstrated how to minimize harms associated with drinking, such as not drinking if you are planning on driving, staying well hydrated, eating before you drink, knowing how many alcoholic beverages you’ve had, or spacing out the drinks you are already consuming. These strategies help to keep people safe and prevent deaths, and are referred to as harm reduction. In my freshman year, I found myself in a position where drugs of all kinds were almost literally falling into my lap. How did this happen? I was encountering drugs I had never even heard of left and right, and with the emergence of online drug markets, it could be as easy as shopping on Amazon. I ...
Read more

Mental Health Resources

Image
All of these are for the United States. If you are somewhere else and are in need of help, please reach out and we'll do our best to put you in contact with the right place. Transportation Easterseals Project Action Services Animals Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals Treatment/Research The Mental Health Research Association (NARSAD) Psychiatric Information  American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) American Psychiatric Association- Practice Guidelines American Psychiatric Association – Healthy Minds Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation National Organizations on Children’s and Adult Mental Health Anxiety Disorders Association of America Borderline Personality Disorder Resource Center Bulimia Resource Guide Center for Mental Health Services Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Recovery International  SAFE Alternatives Schizophrenia.com Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc. National Organizations on Children’s Mental Health Attenti...
Read more

National Aunt and Uncle Day

Image
National Aunt and Uncle’s Day on July 26th honors a special set of relatives we look up to throughout our lives. During holidays, family events and sometimes sleepovers, aunts and uncles often hold an extraordinary place in our hearts. They fill our lives with fun, laughter, love and incredible memories.   This holiday provides an opportunity to spend time with our parents’ siblings we trusted and leaned on growing up.  It would be an excellent time to get out the old photo albums. Look through the pictures, and relive the memories of earlier days around the Christmas tree or at the 4th of July picnic or maybe at the beach vacation that included those special aunts and uncles in your life. Get together with your relatives and create new memories. Remind them of all the reasons you enjoy having them in your life. Celebrate the lessons they’ve taught you and share them with the next generation.  Another way to celebrate the day is by documenting family me...
Read more