Celebrate!: The History and Folklore of Holidays in Nova Scotia

Marie T. Gillis is a member of the Angus L. Macdonald Library staff at
St. Francis Xavier University.

Have you celebrated Mi Carкme? Does your Christmas feast include such
delicacies as poutine rвpé or boudin du pays? Have you heard of
Cabbage Night? And on that night, have you eaten Kolh Cannon or forach?
These and other traditions are highlighted in Clary Croft’s
wonderfully entertaining look at Nova Scotia’s culture through the
prism of its holiday traditions.

Croft, who is well known for his interest in and promotion of Nova
Scotia folklore, has collected some fascinating material. He examines
the customs and heritage of holidays (both sacred and secular), from New
Year’s Day, through Easter and Halloween (once also known as Cabbage
Night because of the use of cabbages as projectile “tricks”), to New
Year’s Eve. What is striking about many of these holiday traditions is
their focus on food, family, and community. The modern-day inclination
to celebrate time off work, rather than the occasion itself, would no
doubt have dismayed our forebears. Furthermore, I suspect they would
share the author’s frustration with the modern commercialization of so
many of these occasions.

The book includes not only currently popular holidays, but also those
that have a long history, even if they are no longer celebrated in Nova
Scotia. Guy Fawkes Day falls into this category (it is a little more
difficult to justify International Boss’s Day, which is neither
particularly popular nor historic). The omission of Davis Day, also
known as Miners’ Memorial Day, is unfortunate given the importance of
coal mining in Nova Scotia history.

Despite some confusion in the use of “it’s” and “its,”
Croft’s prose is lively and enjoyable. The book also benefits from
many fascinating illustrations. Photographs (some from Croft’s
family), cards, menus, and advertisements all increase the reader’s
pleasure. Celebrate! is a book to be, well, celebrated.