Holy Ghost Creole Festival in Opelousas, Louisiana

Whether you’re on small country roads or amongst the bustle of town, you can’t go anywhere in St. Landry Parish without seeing food. Travel along scenic byways and find soybean fields, rice bins, and a cascade of bright red crawfish traps bobbing on glistening ponds. Head into town and there’s no escaping the mass of specialty meat markets, boudin and cracklin stops, and eateries.

So, what made this particular region of Southwest Louisiana a foodie’s paradise, populated with enough smokehouses and specialty meat markets to make anyone with a black pot happy? The geographical region, a melting pot of cultural influences, and the parishes’ cattle industry are all responsible for the area’s delicious way of life.

St. Landry Parish, Louisiana lies on the eastern side of the Prairie Home Cooking Trail, a region whose cuisine is inspired by the traditions of its early settlers and Cajun and Creole inhabitants. The parish was first settled in 1720, when the French established, le Poste des Opélousas, an administrative territory and one of the earliest European settlements in Louisiana. Opelousas was home to a group of Native Americans by the same name. It was believed that the Opelousas tribe was very friendly and unafraid of the European settlers, even forming trading expeditions with them.

By 1791, the military outpost had been governed by the French and the Spanish and was also settled by some English, Scotch, Irish, and German colonists, as well as a group of Acadian exiles who managed to find their way to the lush and fertile lands of the district. Men and women of African heritage began arriving in the 1700s as slaves with the first Europeans and in the late 1700s as gens de couleur libres or free people of color.

Geographer, William Darby, describes an aerial view of Opelousas in 1817 as, “A vast expanse of natural meadows…with thousands of cattle and horses of all sizes scattered…in wild confusion.”

The settlers found the area perfect for agriculture and raising cattle, and the government post soon developed as a commercial center serving their farms and plantations. Cattle runs were often made to nearby, Church Landing, now the town of Washington. Washington is conveniently located along Bayou Courtableau and was once the most important steamboat port between New Orleans and St. Louis before the use of railroads. The town quickly became known for its transportation and dealings. Today, you can step back in time, to the steamboat era, at the Steamboat Warehouse Restaurant in Washington. The restaurant is the last of the of the old steamboat warehouses still standing on Bayou Courtableau.

Even today remnants of the history and cultures exist in the way we cook. German immigrants brought with them the process of smoking and preserving meats.

Agriculture is still a celebrated industry. In March, the St. Landry Cattlemen’s Association invites chefs and home cooks to participate in the Here’s the Beef Cook-Off, where you can sample brisket, beef tongue, barbecue, and other beef dishes.

“In St. Landry Parish, food is a religion.”

It’s easy to see, that in St. Landry Parish, food is a religion, where every cook is a chef and we all practice the holy trinity — onions, bell peppers, and celery. To truly understand our faith in food, you need to sample dishes at area events and festivals. To help plan your food itinerary, we’ve highlighted the top ten culinary celebrations in the area.

Top 10 Culinary Celebrations

In no particular order, these events are delicious!

1. Eunice Mardi Gras – Every year the Eunice Mardi Gras Association rewards Courir de Mardi Gras participants with gumbo at the end of the day. During the chicken run, revelers are treated with boudin. Also, look into the Lundi Gras Boucherie where you can sample pork dishes including ribs, crackling, and boudin rouge!
2. Holy Ghost Creole Festival – This festival celebrates everything Creole! Hear live zydeco and gospel music and samples Creole dishes and sweet dough pies.
3. Annual World Championship Crawfish Étouffée Cook-Off – Everyone has a different etouffee recipe, but we all agree on one thing – you need crawfish and lots of butter. Chefs compete for the best etouffee while Cajun music bands play under the pavilion.
4. Crawfish Season – Okay, it’s not an event, but it should be. Every season locals make eating boiled crawfish a family affair, often inviting friends and neighbors over for a crawfish boil. Many restaurants sell boiled crawfish during crawfish season, typically from February to May.
5. Sweet Dough Pie Festival – Cajun sweet dough pie is area favorite. It’s a small, crescent-shaped pie filled with seasonal fruit fillings. Also, keep an eye out for “benne” or sesame seed praline, another local favorite. Every year in October, you can stock up on pies and even tour the Jesuit cemetery with costumed reenactors.
6. Port Barre Cracklin Festival – Eat all of the crackling you want for three whole days! For over 30 years the Port Barre Lions Club has attracted travelers from across the U.S. for fried pork and Cajun music.
7. Here’s the Beef Cook-Off – Every spring home cooks compete for the best dish in multiple beef categories. Taste downhome southern dishes like barbecue ribs, brisket, steaks, and rice n’ gravy.
8. Gumbo Cook-Off – When it’s rainy or cold, everyone in Louisiana makes their own version of gumbo be it chicken and sausage or seafood with okra or a dollop of potato salad. This event serves as a fundraiser for a child in need but also features professional and amateur chefs alike battling for the best gumbo.
9. Boot Brew Festival – Learn all about the home brewing process, sample brews, enjoy live music, and vote for your favorite beer at the Boot Brew Fest at Lakeview Park in Eunice.
10. St. Landry BBQ Fest – Celebrate the Fourth of July with a full weekend of live music, carnival rides, fireworks, and a BBQ cook-off with categories like beef, chicken, pork, seafood, wild game, and even dessert.

“St. Landry Parish, Louisiana is a place with Cajun spirit and Creole soul.”

Thumb through any St. Landry Parish phone book and you’ll see surnames that indicate a gumbo of ethnicities – French, Spanish, German, African, Irish, Native American and more, but many residents also celebrate their Cajun and Creole heritage.

Cajuns are descendants of the Acadians, who were evicted from the region of Nova Scotia in the mid-1700s, after their continued refusal to swear allegiance to the British crown. Many of these Acadian exiles landed in south Louisiana, where they blended with other groups to have a lasting impact on the state’s language, music, and food.

Creole is broadly defined and has numerous definitions that vary in different regions of the state, country and the world. In St. Landry Parish, many Creoles identify themselves as the descendants of slaves and free people of color. Many trace their lineage to the Caribbean and Africa and even speak in Creole.

Creoles have heavily influenced the region’s culture, especially with zydeco, the accordion-driven, dance music that now has fans across the globe. Accordionist Amédé Ardoin, a native Creole of St. Landry Parish, is widely regarded as a founding father of Cajun music and zydeco.

Creole Heritage Folklife Center in Opelousas, Louisiana

Today, both cultures are celebrated at festivals, music events, and local attractions. In Opelousas, you can learn more about Creole Louisiana at the Creole Heritage Folklife Center. The center is run by cultural icon, Rebecca Henry, who is a native folklorist and herbalist. At the center, she provides tours and workshops in either English or Creole and offers educational youth programs throughout the year.

For a taste of Cajun culture visit the Jean Lafitte National Park Prairie Acadiana Culture Center. Practice your French skills on Wednesday mornings at La Table Française de Eunice in the Eunice Depot Museum. Coffee, snacks, and good company are in store. Nearby is the  Liberty Theatre where the Rendez-vous des Cajuns live radio show would air. This long-running tradition now showcased Cajun, Creole, and zydeco music artists. Locals music artist, Steve Riley, often hosted special shows at the Liberty such at the Cajun Fiddle Kings or the Creole Accordion Kings. Efforts are underway to reopen the Liberty and you can read about them here.

For more Cajun and Creole cultural events, see below! 

Lebeau Zydeco Festival – Lebeau is the birthplace of music legend, Rockin’ Sidney, and one of Louisiana oldest zydeco music festivals.

Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival – Every zydeco fan should experience the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival. For over 35 years the festival has featured non-stop, best of the best zydeco musicians.

Holy Ghost Creole Festival – This festival celebrates everything Creole, from A to Z. Find homecooked Creole food, handmade sweet dough pies, and live zydeco and gospel music.

Find French-Friendly Events – From French tables to jam sessions and concerts, there are plenty ways to practice your Cajun or Creole in St. Landry Parish.

March 11, 2018, nearly 500 music fans, locals, and Ardoin family members welcomed Amédé home.

Bringing Amédé Home was a symbolic event honoring one of Louisiana’s most iconic musicians, Amédé Ardoin. The ceremony featured a candlelit Remembrance Vigil, a Bal du Dimanche après-midi (Sunday afternoon house dance), and the unveiling of the Amédé Ardoin Commemorative.

“In the 1920s and ‘30s, Amédé crafted tunes that poured the foundation for Cajun music and zydeco… If you find a Cajun band that doesn’t know the Lacassine Special, make a citizen’s arrest. The only Cajun songs probably more popular are The Back Door and Jolie Blonde.”

– Herman Fuselier, Music and Entertainment Writer.

Amédé Ardoin (1898-1942) was one of the earliest French-speaking Creole musicians to commercially record his songs and the first to build a library of over 30 recordings with national labels. By fans and musicians alike, he is widely regarded as the bedrock of today’s Cajun and Creole music. Inspired by the Ardoin family’s efforts to bring him home from his burial place in an unmarked grave at the Central Louisiana Hospital in Pineville, the Amédé Ardoin Project Committee formed with the purpose of symbolically bringing him home through a public memorial.

The Amédé Ardoin Commemorative

The Amédé Ardoin Commemorative in Opelousas, Louisiana

The memorial, a 1,500 lb. carved steel statue, displays Ardoin standing high atop his most prized possession, his accordion. In his right hand, he holds out a bronze lemon, a reference to Ardoin’s practice of carrying a lemon in his pocket for his singing voice. The sculpture was modeled after a single image, the only known image in existence, a black and white photo of the young musician making his confirmation in the Catholic Church.

The Amédé Ardoin Commemorative is available for viewing at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Information Center. The center is located on Interstate 49 at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center in Opelousas, Louisiana. The center is open Monday through Saturday, from 9am-5pm.

About the Artist – Russell Whiting

Russel Whiting works and resides in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana with his wife, Michelle, and their three dogs. He is a self-taught, award-winning artist who’s gained national recognition for his forged steel statues. Russell began his career as an artist making small wooden figurines, but today he uses a special technique that allows him to carve steel with an oxy-acetylene torch to form elegant, regal figures. The Amédé Ardoin Commemorative is Whiting’s first portrait in steel and has inspired him to start similar projects.

The Symbolism of the Couronne & Handkerchief

A simple kindness from a young woman instigated a racial assault and an injury that would lead to an early death for Ardoin at the age of 44. The handkerchief is a symbol of that fateful night. The handkerchief is draped on a garland of brightly colored flowers, known as a couronne. Making a couronne is a Catholic tradition and is done by shaping crepe flowers which are hand-dipped into paraffin wax and used to form a wreath. In Louisiana a couronne de toussaints is placed at a loved one’s grave on All Saints’ Day, All Hallows’ Eve or in French, la Toussaint. The couronne is a reminder that his spirit, memory, and music live on.

Patricia Cravins performing a monologue as Amédé’s Mother, from the play, Still Life, by Patricia Sidman

“Ardoin is one of our great existential poets. He knew his first responsibility as an artist and as a human being was to be true to his voice, and because of his steadfastness to clarity, purity, and integrity of voice, he became what his beloved fiddle partner Dennis McGee called him, ‘une chanson vivant’, a living song.”

– Poet, Darrell Bourque, Ph.D.

The couronne was made by the artist, Charles Seale, of Eunice, Louisiana.

About the Amédé Ardoin Project

The Amédé Ardoin Project Committee will continue their efforts with an open scholarship initiative to support young artists who study with professional la-la and zydeco musicians in Louisiana. The project committee also calls upon Louisiana musicians, schools, communities, and individual businesses to plant a lemon tree or grove in honor of Amédé Ardoin. For more information or to donate, contact Darrell Bourque at darrellbourque@gmail.com or Patricia Cravins at patricia.cravins@gmail.com.

For more information about the Amédé Ardoin Commemorative, please call The St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission (SLPTC) at 337-948-8004. SLPTC is the official destination marketing organization tasked with the purpose of promoting tourism in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana.

This tried and true recipe is one of our own. It calls for one of our favorite seasonings, local spice house, Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning, and comes with directions for making a homemade roux. Try it out, and let us know what you think!

What is Gumbo?

Gumbo is a dish that originated in southern Louisiana from the Louisiana Creole people during the 18th century. It typically consists primarily of a strongly-flavored stock, okra, meat or shellfish, a thickener, and seasoning vegetables, which can include celery, bell peppers, and onions. Gumbo is often categorized by the type of thickener used. Using okra is an African tradition, while the Choctaw Indians were known to use a spice called filé, a fine powder made from dried and ground sassafras leaves. All recipes call for a roux, a French base made of flour and fat. The dish likely derived its name from either the Bantu word for okra, ki ngombo, or the Choctaw word for filé, kombo.