The Acadian and francophone community of
Nova Scotia

Acadian celebrations & Commemorations

Acadian National Holiday - August 15th
The Acadian National Holiday is on August 15th. This date was officially adopted at the first Acadian National Convention held in Memramcook, New Brunswick, in 1881.

Some delegates had suggested choosing June 24th, St. John the Baptist Day, celebrated by French Canadians in Quebec, as the national holiday. However, by choosing August 15th instead, the day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the delegates demonstrated their desire to distinguish Acadians from other French Canadians and emphasize their unique cultural and historical identity.

Congrès mondial acadien
Every five years since 1994, Acadians have gathered from around the world to celebrate their Acadian and Cajun culture and history.

The first Acadian World Congress was held in 1994. The festivities and family meetings were held at various locations in nine different municipalities in southeastern New Brunswick. In 1999, the Congress was held in southwestern Louisiana and in 2004, the third Congress was held in Nova Scotia, the ancestral homeland of the Acadians. This event also coincided with the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first French settlers in Canada in 1604. More than 100 families held reunions in various communities from Pubnico to Chéticamp, to celebrate their common heritage.

Commemoration of the Great Upheaval - July 28th
The date of July 28th was chosen by the Government of Canada to commemorate the Great Upheaval since on that day in 1755 the members of the Council in Halifax unanimously decided to deport the Acadians from Nova Scotia. The Acadians were deported on various dates, depending on where they lived, but all were affected by the decision made by British authorities on July 28th, 1755. The British considered the Acadian population a threat at a time when tension was increasing between the empires of France and Britain. The Acadians were deported, their lands were seized and their homes were burnt.

On December 2nd 2003, the Government of Canada adopted the content of the Royal Proclamation by Queen Elizabeth II and officially declared July 28th of each year the Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval.