Sud-Ouest: no mention of Fête nationale
Sud-Ouest borough is planning a solstice festival that, while it includes St-Jean, doesn’t put the national day first and foremost. “La controverse a résonné jusqu’à l’hôtel de ville de Montréal.” I saw responses to this story on Twitter before I saw the story itself, so it’s clearly today’s teapot tempest.
Update: The mayor herself has stepped in and chivvied Sud-Ouest into line.
steph 20:24 on 2019-06-13 Permalink
Abandoning ‘Saint-Jean’ is simply an attempt to be more secular. Why are the pure-laines outraged?
Brett 08:38 on 2019-06-14 Permalink
They want it to say ‘fête nationale’
Kate 09:25 on 2019-06-14 Permalink
Ingrid Peritz reports that the festival has been quickly rebranded “la St-Jean dans le Sud‑Ouest.” The PDF of the borough’s printed bulletin still has “le festival du solstice d’été” as does this webpage, and Peritz talks to a borough rep who explains – fruitlessly – that the saint’s festival was a Christianization of the old pagan observation of the solstice anyway, a bit of folkloric history that cuts no ice here.
But Brett, you know that while the holiday is often referred to as the Fête nationale, it’s still very commonly called la Saint-Jean.