Cajun Wedding Traditions

If you research the ancestry of Cajuns you'll find they were excommunicated from Nova Scotia in part because of their religious convictions. Early Cajuns were of Catholic descent and until the time when other denominations flourished, babies were christened and funerals were held in the same parish church where all weddings were held. However, in the earliest days when a Parish Priest was not so readily available, the couple would jump over a broom to signify tying the knot and this act was deemed binding until the actual ceremony could be performed.

Many of the old Catholic traditions still hold true in today's Cajun weddings. A rose is given to the Virgin Mary and subsequently to the mothers of the bride and groom. A more modern tradition is the lighting of candles - usually the mothers light one and then the couple light a large "unity" candle to signify the light of Christ in their lives.

Known as the language of love, French music is another Cajun tradition to celebrate a wedding. The Wedding March is performed. The bride and groom walk in a large circle around the dance floor, the wedding party joins in one-couple-at-a-time until all are following the newlyweds then guests join in until everyone is involved. This is usually followed by waltzes and love songs interspersed with foot-stomping jitterbug tunes.

Dancing brings up another Cajun tradition and that is pinning money to the bride's veil. Over the years this tradition has changed to include pinning money to the groom's suit also.

Food is another tradition at every wedding but Cajun wedding food is more traditional with gumbo (chicken and sausage cooked in a soup-like broth and served over rice) - all of it provided by mostly the bride's family. Sometimes the banquet will include boiled seafood, roasted pork or other traditional Cajun foods. Often a "couchon de lait" is part of the celebration at some point. This is where a small pig is roasted in a ground pit. The bride's cake is white. The groom's is chocolate and when possible, cut by his godparent.

Pranks and practical jokes are a huge part of the Cajun wedding tradition. If there is an older sibling who is not married, this person has to dance with a broom or a mop! The object is decorated to represent the missing partner. Rice and short-sheets usually greet the couple when they return home to the marriage bed.

Many of these traditions are dying out or changing but a true Cajun will incorporate most - if not all - of the old ways into his or her wedding ceremony to honor their roots.