Veillée (Quebec)
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Veillées are secular festive occasions in Quebec, Canada during which attendees (called veilleux) dance, sing or listen to stories. Veillées used to accompany important holidays and celebration. They date back to New France.
The veillée tradition started around 1725-1750, in New France. Some soldiers spent the winter in inhabitants' homes. During the day, they worked; during the night, they would go from farm to farm looking for good company for partying, thus starting the veillées. Previously, men and women preferred entertaining themselves by going to the cabaret.[1]: 14,20
The practice of the veillée was further popularized in the mid-18th century with the arrival of soldiers from Montcalm's regiments. The veillée as it is known comes from this period, and was anchored as a popular tradition by the growing economic means of the colony's inhabitants. The veillée was purely recreative in New France[i], unlike in France where people would meet to share lighting, have fun and work.[1]: 20–21, [24]
Veillées were very common during winter,[1]: 23,99 [2]: 239 [3]: 108 between epiphany and lent.[1]: 28,110 [2]: 230 The carnival was not celebrated in French Canada as it was in Europe, likely due to the harsh weather. French Canadians instead preferred celebrating inside, in veillées.[2]: 230
Veillées would accompany multiple holidays and celebrations. There was a veillée on Christmas night, at the home of the oldest married sister, and on the New Year's Eve, at the paternal home. There would also be veillées de chant or veillées de danse at lent and after épluchettes de blé d'Inde[ii].[1]: 107,110,125 Friends and family were invited to veillées.[1]: 99 [3]: 111
The traditional veillée was still practiced in the early 20th century,[3]: 111 although they started to be considered as an old traditional practice and celebrated as such.[4]
Participants to a veillée were called veilleux.[2]: 230