Folklore includes many customs that are not as common in our society today. A number of these customs are linked to important life events such as marriage and death.

MARRIAGE
Many decades ago in Acadia, getting married was quite a ritual. When a young man wanted to marry his sweetheart, he had to begin by asking the future bride's father the "big question." Once the proposal was accepted, the marriage was announced three Sundays in a row at the parish church. Weddings generally took place in the winter because during that season people were not as busy with work. Often, marriages were held on a Monday or Tuesday. Religious rules at the time did not allow marriages to take place during Lent or Advent.

In those days, divorce was not common at all among Acadians, so separations were treated as scandalous. The wedding day involved a fairly elaborate set of rituals. Villagers looked forward eagerly to the prospect of a celebration. A wedding was one of the rare occasions when the people of the village could dance. Young people could meet and possibly make marriage plans of their own. If, for one reason or another, the newlyweds decided not to have a dance at their wedding, the people of the village could punish the couple with a "charivari" to make them change their minds.

DEATH
Long ago, when a person died, a piece of black cloth was attached to the door of the house. The church bells were rung - a distinctive ring called the "death knell" - twelve rings for a man, nine for a woman, and three for a child. The body was washed and dressed by the men if it was a man and by the women if it was a woman, and was then laid out on boards in the living room of the house. A wake was held for two days and three nights. A man from the family or one of the relatives built the coffin.