Le Petit Bonhomme Janvier

Le Petit Bonhomme Janvier ("Little Man January") is a character in American folklore. He is part of the Cajun culture of Louisiana. Le Petit Bonhomme Janvier is said to pass on New Year's Day, when children may receive fruits, candy, or some time other special gift.

In some articles Bonhomme was a trickster (or un joueur) that would place some baubles/candy in the shoes of little children when they were obedient all year and the other things when they were not so during the year.[1] For the bad children, he would insist that the real treat was handed out when something foul was left in the shoe. Other articles state that he was a little man that even visited adults bringing "sacks of treats filled with oranges, pecans, candy, coloring books and crayons."[2]

References

  1. ↑ Chris Segura. (1997). Santa replaced Little Man January in Cajun tradition. Posted by the Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser Acadiana Correspondent
  2. ↑ Marcelle Bienvenu. (2004). Welcome le petit bonhomme Janvier. Posted as a thread, LA-CAJUN-L Archives, in rootsweb site at ancestry.com’s web site
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