St-Jean Baptiste Festival June 24

Material for this presentation was assembled from a variety of web sites.

While the orgin of the holiday in France was the pagan celebration of the summer soltice; a celebration of light and a symbol of hope. In the reign of the French King Clovis, the annual event was christianized and became a religious celebration of the birth of John the Baptist, who is known as the Precursor of Christ, the light of the world – thus the link with the soltice and the bonfires.  

From the 150 French residents of New France in 1635, their customs spread with their pursuit of the fur trade. It was quite important, particularly since it coincides with the summer collection of furs and the gathering of employees who had been isolated during the winter. Large bonfires, singing, fiddle music and dancing are all a part of this festive occasion. The conviver (come together) was boisterous with many les santés (toasts) to health and much gunfire and cannon booms. Festivities lasted throughout the night.

French residents in the St. Lawrence River area formed a chain of bonfire lights from village to village. Even in the late 20th Century, more than 15,000 of these fires could be seen on 24 June. Soldiers mustered to fire cannon and muskets as a part of the provincal.

After the conquest of New France by the British, the celebration of St-Jean Baptiste lost some of its importance.  It was just over two centuries later on 24 June 1834 when Ludger Dunvernay, a newspaper editor, and about 60 people decided during a banquet to turn that day into an event that would unite all French Canadians.  The festival grew in size and importance to French Canadians.

A great number of English-Speaking Montrealers took part in the national banquet, which was held in the gardens of a prominent lawyer, John McDonnell.  While the enthusiasm for the annual event were put on hold during and after the Patriot’s Rebellion in 1837-38, Celebration of the Fête de la Saint-Jean as it was named, reappeared in Quebec City in 1842 as a religious festival with a great procession.  Montreal followed suit in 1843.

The annual celebration grew and in 1925 the Quebec legislature declared June 24 as a holiday.

The interior of St-Jean Baptiste Church  in Quebec City

The church has a remarkable history, which can be found at the following website:
http://www.patrimoine-religieux.com/part/eglises/st-jean-baptiste_en.html

The usual order of activities would open with a mass to commemorate St-Jean Baptiste.  A parade would follow the streets of the villages with a band, baton twirlers, people dressed in period costumes and floats.  The last float would represent St-Jean Baptiste with a blonde and curly haired child wearing sheep skin, holding a cane.  One or more lambs would signify a shepherd and his flock of sheep.

After the parade there was a banquet with entertainment, folkloric dances and the day would end with a great bonfire and fireworks.

The evolution of St-Jean-Baptiste Day from a religious to a nationalist celebration was complete by 1975.  In 1976, the Province of Quebec government passed legislation making it the official national holiday of Quebec and an official paid holiday.   The name of the holiday was then changed to la Fete Nationale, though many still refer to it as St-Jean-Baptiste Day. 

At the beginning of the 19^th century, in towns and villages along the St-Lawrence River, it was customary to take the first swim of the year on the even of St-Jean-Baptiste Day.  Even today most swimming pools in Quebec open for the season around that day. 

Another tradition was the petits pains benits (blessed loaves of bread).  These bread loaves were shaped either as a star (another announcement of the birth of Christ) or heart (For God so loved the world).   They were then given to the priest.   This is not the same as the Lord’s Supper.