Confetti Park Children's Workshop

Tag: legend

  • Storytime: The Loup Garoup

    Storytime: The Loup Garoup

    Loup garoups are also knows as rougarou in Louisiana, and most famously as werewolves.

    It’s almost Halloween, the time of year when the doors between the living world and the spiritual world are open wide. Soon we will observe Allhallowtide, when we remember the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

    It’s the perfect time to cozy up to a fire and hear tales of the supernatural. You decide… truth or fiction?

    In this episode of Confetti Park Storytime, Kathleen Welch shares with us the legend of the Loup Garoup as found in Acadiana French-Canadian, Acadian, and Franco-American folklore.

    The rougaroo is on display at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans

    Loup garoups are also knows as rougarou in Louisiana, and most famously as werewolves. They are a terrifying night creature that emerges when the moon is full. Another word you might have heard associated with phases of the moon is “lunatic.”

    “The belief is that sinners may be transformed into black bears or dogs, in which shape they wander each night until someone draws blood from them, thereby breaking the curse,” says Welch, describing the loup garoup.

    You can learn a lot about werewolf legends at History.com

  • Storytime: Juju Meets the Rougaroo by Michelle Hirstius

    Storytime: Juju Meets the Rougaroo by Michelle Hirstius

    Juju Meets the Rougaroo
    Juju Meets the Rougaroo: A Halloween Anti-Bullying Book by Michelle Hirstius

    Halloween calls for some spooky tales, and we have some wonderful spooky tales to share in Louisiana! Here is one of our newest little Louisiana characters—it’s Juju, who makes GOOD voodoo!

    What is a rougaroo?  It’s like a werewolf. It’s a hairy half-human/half-wolf monster that lives in the swamps of South Louisiana. The Cajun people tell tales of the rougaroo (or rougarou, roux-ga-roux, rugaroo, rugaru or loup garou) prowling the Louisiana swamps and forests, stalking livestock, pets, and humans. It changes into wolf form with the phases of the moon—in worst case, the phase lasts 101 days.  Some say you turn into a rougaroo by breaking church habits, and others say witches turn you into a rougaroo, and others say that the bite of a monster causes the change. It’s definitely a scary legend meant to keep little children close to home!

    Well… this sweet little book isn’t as scary as those legends. In Juju Meets the Rougaroo, Juju and her friends are trick-or-treating when they encounter the rougaroo, and he tries to steal their candy. He is a bully! Only Juju stands up to him, and decides to use her good voodoo to show the creature his past, present, and future so that he can see how his meanness affects other people—and himself.

    Juju is an adorable character created by New Orleans author and illustrator Michelle Hirstius. Juju Meets the Rougaroo is the seventh in a series and we are so glad that more are coming! Thanks for sharing your stories with Confetti Park, Michelle!

    Check out all the adventures of Juju at http://www.michellehirstius.com/

  • Storytime: ‘Dem Bones by David Ray (narrated by Chris Lane)

    Storytime: ‘Dem Bones by David Ray (narrated by Chris Lane)

    Enjoy this spooky, dramatic tale of a pirate who experiences the strangest vision…. a skeleton pirate crew that carries treasure aboard the island where he is marooned.

    “It all started when Mr. Colt, me scurvy dog of a first mate, raised a mutiny against me. I was so proud; that’s how I first became a captain, you know.”

    “….At first she appeared to be nothin’ but a large shadow moving across the waves, but as she got closer it became clear that it were a ship. But no ordinary ship she was, for she was indeed made of nothin’ but shadows…..It was then that that chill took a hold of me in earnest as I watches her crew boarding those boats, for they weren’t men, not least as we know them; they were a crew of skeletons whose bones glowed in the night.”

    Based on an old pirate folk tale updated by David Eugene Ray, author of the award-winning book The Little Mouse Santi, and narrated by the vibrant New Orleans actor and producer Chris Lane, ‘Dem Bones is sure to thrill listeners of all ages! Who doesn’t love a good pirate tale?

    This recording features archival fiddle performances from early 1900s American history: “Devil’s Dream” performed by John Sellick and “Mount Collins Reel” performed by Denis Murphy.

    By the way, wonder who this “Louis Lafitte” is? He is the made-up imaginary pirate persona of a little boy from Louisiana, who has grown up hearing the legends of Jean Lafitte! Check out this song by the Confetti Park Players.

  • Storytime: The Fifolet by Johnette Downing

    Storytime: The Fifolet by Johnette Downing

    The Fifolet by Johnette Downing
    The Fifolet by Johnette Downing

    In this edition of Confetti Park, we have a very special reading by Louisiana children’s author Johnette Downing. This is a narration of her new book, The Fifolet.

    The fifolet (or feufollet) is a very spooky Louisiana legend that appears frequently in Cajun and Houmas Indian folklore. The say that the fifolet are swamp spirits making lights deep in the swamps……  Great big eerie balls of light, that seem to float above the water, and beckon the watcher to follow! Interestingly, this kind of legend appears not just Louisiana culture, but around the world. (Ever heard of the will o’ the wisps in Europe or ghost lights in Japan?)

    Different explanations blame supernatural spirits, or mischievous elves and fairies, or even the lost souls  of pirates guarding lost treasures in the swamp. And some people say it’s nothing but phosphorescent swamp gas making the blue fire.

    In her book, which was illustrated by Jennifer Lindsley, Johnette Downing tells about the fifolet through the experience of fisherman Jean-Paul Pierre, who has his heart set on finding the fifolet’s buried treasure.

    “Through cypress trees and beards of moss, there is a fire spirit that you never want to cross. It will tease you and coax you and draw you near, but all the Cajuns know that you better beware.”

    Worth noting is that the music to this story was also written and performed by Johnette. The music is actually from a song about another swamp creature known in Louisiana: the loup garoup, featured on her CD From the Gumbo Pot.