In the Cajun country west of New Orleans, it is a tradition dating back 150 years to light bonfires on the levees along the Mississippi River on Christmas Eve.

Tradition says that these bonfires helped light the way for Papa Noel, who delivers his gifts to the Cajun children by canoe.


Families begin building these structures, made of willow wood, soon after Thanksgiving. Most are done in the traditional 20 foot pyramid shape, although some build their bonfires in non-traditional shapes, such as cabins, boats or alligators. Competition is fierce. An outer layer of bamboo adds crackle and sparks to the bonfire.




This is a folk celebration, and visitors are welcome. There is no admission charge.

To get there from New Orleans: Take I-10 west to Exit #194 onto LA 3212 for Lutcher and Gramercy. Go for about 3 miles and at the first stoplight, take a right onto LA 3123. Go only one block and take a left onto Hwy. 641. Within a mile, you'll pass into the town of Lutcher and Hwy. 641 will run directly into River Road. Parking is where you can find it.

For the Christmas-time tourist to New Orleans, a great way to see this festival is by tour bus or boat. There are several available.
We took the Grey Line tour bus, and for our $65 fee received a wonderful afternoon and evening. First, we went to Oak Alley, the most beautiful plantation in the region. Then the bus took us to a fire hall (in Vacherie, I believe) where we enjoyed an authentic Cajun meal of gumbo, frickasee chicken and rice, and bread pudding. Meal completed, we got back on the busses. There were 7 busses on our tour, that's 350 people.
When all 7 busses were filled and ready, we moved on to Lutcher with Sheriff's escort, getting us through and past the lines of traffic heading for the bonfires. Parking had been arranged for the busses only 3 blocks from the levee.

We walked to the levee and then up atop it, where the bonfire structures were waiting to be lit. Although we had been told that over 50,000 people would come to see this event, we never felt crowded or hassled. We moved to the river side of the levee, which is faced with a sloping cement pad, where walking was easier and footing easier to see.


At 7 pm the bonfires were lit. As far as the eye could see, both up and down the river, the structures burst into flame, some crackling from the bamboo coats, others with loud cracks from the embedded fire crackers. Aerial fireworks were set off to our left, from the town pier, and were also set off up and down the levee by young men on their own accord. It was a pyromaniac's paradise. I got my fill of flame and smoke and spark and noise, in a safe but exciting manner. It was the high point of my visit to New Orleans.

At 8, we returned to our busses and thence to New Orleans. As we left, I could see the lines of cars stretching far beyond the levees, people driving by to see the bonfires.




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