Word of the Week…en Français!
la d’Ignolée /la/ /dig-no-ley/ (feminine noun)
A custom found throughout French North America in which a group of singers (originally young men in costume) travel from house to house collecting donations for the poor on New Year’s Eve. The donations were then to be dispensed on the eve of Epiphany, January 5th. Also known as La Guiannée or La Guignolée, the tradition dates back at least to Medieval times. For more information see Old French Traditions, Wikipedia, The Cursed Village, and The Ste. Genevieve Herald.
Post Office Mural, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. For more information, see: http://livingnewdeal.berkeley.edu/projects/post-office-mural-ste-genevieve-mo/
