{"id":22991,"date":"2024-09-19T18:35:48","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T22:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/?p=22991"},"modified":"2024-09-20T11:48:48","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T15:48:48","slug":"8-cool-facts-about-cajun-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/destinations\/8-cool-facts-about-cajun-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Cool Facts About Cajun Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cajun culture is one of the most unique and best preserved cultures in the country &#8211; and the majority of us have barely heard of it! Or, if we have, it\u2019s through the typical Hollywood stereotypes. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I can attest that after my visit, those stereotypes couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. There\u2019s so much to love about this culture, and I had a blast learning the ins and out when I visited Lafayette, the heart of Cajun country in Louisiana. Here are just some of the cool facts I learned!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><div class=\"vcex-module vcex-divider-dots wpex-mx-auto wpex-last-mr-0 wpex-text-center\"><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch our <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/episodes\/season-2-2\/lafayette-louisiana\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLafayette &amp; Cajun Country, Louisiana\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">episode below<\/span><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RQH8_6yduH4?si=9ZbQlS2x_5uZ50f4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><div class=\"vcex-module vcex-divider-dots wpex-mx-auto wpex-last-mr-0 wpex-text-center\"><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">8 Cool Facts about Cajun Culture<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22993\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-country-nova-scotia.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-country-nova-scotia.png 2000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-country-nova-scotia-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-country-nova-scotia-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-country-nova-scotia-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-country-nova-scotia-1536x960.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>1. The name \u201cCajun\u201d comes from the Canadian Maritimes<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How did they get the name \u201ccajun\u201d exactly? Well, Cajuns in Louisiana are actually immigrants from <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettetravel.com\/plan\/history\/what-is-cajun\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Maritimes in Canada<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Under French rule, this region was known as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Acadie<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and its people <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">les Acadiens<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Soon that became <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">le \u2018Cadiens,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and then when more Americans came into the picture and couldn\u2019t pronounce <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cadien<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it became Cajun!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-16777\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/maccordian_martins_lafayette.jpg\" alt=\"Samantha Brown Places to love - Lafayette\" width=\"2000\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/maccordian_martins_lafayette.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/maccordian_martins_lafayette-300x120.jpg 300w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/maccordian_martins_lafayette-768x307.jpg 768w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/maccordian_martins_lafayette-1024x410.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>2. The Cajun language isn\u2019t an English dialect but a French one.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Funnily enough, the Cajun language isn\u2019t an English dialect but French, and if you visit Lafayette or anywhere in Cajun country, it\u2019ll actually be helpful to learn some of the French words <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettetravel.com\/plan\/history\/language\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">listed here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And even then, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hnoc.org\/publications\/first-draft\/what-does-it-mean-be-cajun-12-stories-understand-identity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cajun French<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is very different from modern French. Cajuns generally come from Aquitaine, Normandy, and Brittany, three regions in France that had their own dialects different from Parisian French (aka modern French). On top of that, once they were in Nova Scotia and Louisiana, they often borrowed words from local neighbors, making Cajun more and more unique as the years went by. It\u2019s apparently the only modern North American language to undergo as many changes as it has!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22996\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-louisiana-spanish.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-louisiana-spanish.png 2000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-louisiana-spanish-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-louisiana-spanish-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-louisiana-spanish-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-louisiana-spanish-1536x960.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>3. Cajuns are in Louisiana thanks to the Spanish.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like many American immigrant stories, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettetravel.com\/plan\/history\/acadiana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Cajun one<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is also one of adversity. As I mentioned above, Cajuns originally come from the Canadian Maritimes and the Cajun dialect started in Nova Scotia. How exactly did thousands of people end up so far south in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">such<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a different climate?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Le Grand Derangement<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Following a series of wars, the British gained control over Acadia in the early 1700s. For almost half a century they not only tried to get the 18,000 Acadians living there to pledge their allegiance to the British crown but to also convert them from Catholicism to Anglicanism. Finally in 1755, English governor Charles Lawrence arranged for the mass expulsions of Acadians, separating families, and forcing thousands out to sea where half would die.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For thirty years, Cajuns tried to find a new home without much luck. That is until the King of Spain allowed them into Louisiana, which was under Spanish rule at the time. (This is why part of the flag of Acadiana pays homage to the Old Arms of Castile.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They wound up in more unsettled territory around the bayous, and this is where Cajun Country, or more officially known as Acadiana, is now. One of the earliest settlements, Vermilionville, became present day Lafayette. You can visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bayouvermiliondistrict.org\/Vermilionville\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Vermilionville Living History Museum<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to learn more about these early days and just how much Cajuns have fought to preserve their culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22997\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-mardi-gras.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-mardi-gras.png 2000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-mardi-gras-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-mardi-gras-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-mardi-gras-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-mardi-gras-1536x960.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>4. When it comes to Cajun religion, Catholicism still reigns supreme &#8211; with a twist.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I don\u2019t know about you, but when I think of religion in the Deep South, I imagine Baptist churches with lively choirs. However, when it comes to southern Louisiana, however, Catholicism is the practice of choice. It makes sense when you realize that was one of the reasons Cajuns were forcibly expelled from Canada in the first place!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, like with all aspects of Cajun culture, they put their own twist on Catholicism. One example is how Cajun Mardi Gras is celebrated. Over in New Orleans, you\u2019ll get bright colors and fun, flashy parades. In Cajun country, you\u2019ll get a more rustic celebration known as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.explorelouisiana.com\/articles\/cajun-mardi-gras\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Courir de Mardi Gras<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the traditions is that groups will go from house to house begging for food and in the end make a huge gumbo for the community. YUM!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22998\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-zydeco-music.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-zydeco-music.png 2000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-zydeco-music-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-zydeco-music-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-zydeco-music-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-zydeco-music-1536x960.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>5. Cajun and Zydeco music are separate genres but influence each other like cousins<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two styles of music often associated with Cajun country &#8211; Cajun and Zydeco. They\u2019re two separate genres but influence each other constantly and are often mixed together to create a new sound. As Wayne Singleton of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sameol2step.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wayne &amp; Same Ol 2 Step<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> puts it, they\u2019re like first cousins.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whatever you do, if you visit Cajun country do <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> miss out on enjoying some live Cajun and Zydeco music. Look for a<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> fais do-do<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (pronounced fay doe doe) and get ready to dance until your feet fall off! Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t know what to do &#8211; in classic Cajun spirit, someone will help you out if you can work up the courage to get out on the dance floor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the best parts of Cajun and Zydeco music is the way the band will feed off the dancers. The dancers dance for the band and the band plays right to the dancers. I experienced this first hand at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bbcrawfest.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breaux Bridges Crawfish Festival<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Like the name suggests, it celebrates all things crawfish. However, with over 30 bands that play throughout, it\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">also<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> one of the best places to experience live Cajun and Zydeco music.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Speaking of crawfish\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22999\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crawfish-cajun-country.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crawfish-cajun-country.png 2000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crawfish-cajun-country-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crawfish-cajun-country-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crawfish-cajun-country-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crawfish-cajun-country-1536x960.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>6. Crawfish isn\u2019t seafood!<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the the most delicious aspects of Cajun cuisine is a good, ole crawfish boil. I went to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crawfishhaven.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mrs. Rose\u2019s Bed and Breakfast<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is the only bed and breakfast in Acadiana (and probably all of Louisiana) that also offers crawfish excursions. We went out to catch some of these creatures, and then I attempted to eat my way through five pounds of them!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s a little known fact, though. While crawfish shares a lot in common with seafood staples like lobster or shrimp, it\u2019s not seafood at all for one reason &#8211; they\u2019re only found in freshwater!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22995\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-evangeline.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-evangeline.png 2000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-evangeline-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-evangeline-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-evangeline-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-evangeline-1536x960.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>7. Cajun culture is curiously tied to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a fireside poet best known for translating Dante Alighieri\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Divine Comedy<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and for poems that helped define early American identity. He had never been anywhere in the Canadian Maritimes <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> down to Louisiana, much less Acadiana. Oh, and all his ancestry came from English colonists.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So why exactly does he have any ties to Cajun culture?&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of his most famous poems, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettetravel.com\/plan\/history\/legend-of-evangeline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEvangeline: A Tale of Acadie.\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This poem tells the tragic story of Evangeline and Gabriel, lovers separated on their wedding day thanks to Le Grand Derangement. When Evangeline finally makes it to Louisiana and learns she\u2019s just missed Gabriel, she spends her life searching around the American frontier for him. Eventually she gives up and joins the Sisters of Mercy in Philadelphia, finding her love years later on his deathbed.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Evangeline and Gabriel are fictional characters, their story represents the very real tragedy Cajuns faced during the mass expulsion and manages to portray their resilient spirit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23000\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/joie-de-vivre-cajun.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/joie-de-vivre-cajun.png 2000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/joie-de-vivre-cajun-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/joie-de-vivre-cajun-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/joie-de-vivre-cajun-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/joie-de-vivre-cajun-1536x960.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>8. Cajun culture is ultimately enjoying life!<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The French invented the term <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myneworleans.com\/the-true-characteristics-of-the-cajun-people\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">joie de vivre<\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and it seems that this mentality continues to live on with Cajun culture despite their years of hardship. Talk to anyone in Cajun country, and they\u2019ll smile and tell you that no matter what, they\u2019re able to enjoy life and find the good. In fact, Lafayette was recently named <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lafayettetravel.com\/plan\/trip-ideas-itineraries\/guide-for-the-happiest-city\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the happiest city on earth<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I feel like the best way to really see this approach to life in action is to look at how Cajuns rallied and saved their culture and language. During World War I and after, the United States was focused on forming a national identity and did its best to tamp down on regional cultures like Cajun and Creole, pushing them towards English and away from French.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After World War II, though, there was a huge push to both preserve and share Cajun culture with the country. This all accumulated with the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), which helped Louisianans no longer feel ashamed of their French heritage.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In classic Cajun fashion, CODOFIL organized the very first Tribute to Cajun Music Festival in 1974, using music to get younger Cajuns engaged. This festival has grown and evolved over the last fifty years so that it\u2019s now called <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/festivalsacadiens.com\/about\/history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the Festivals Acadiens et Cr\u00e9oles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and includes more than just music to celebrate the culture!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best part of this <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">joie de vivre<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> mentality? It makes hospitality in Cajun country a way of life, not just some tourism buzzword. Remember, as far back as Acadia, Cajuns were mixing with neighboring cultures, sharing language, cuisine, and traditions. The Cajun culture we can find in Louisiana today has a mix of influences that just strengthen its uniqueness. They\u2019re more than happy to share their culture and welcome outsiders into the fold. As someone told me at our crawfish boil, a Cajun never knows a stranger.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><div class=\"vcex-module vcex-divider-dots wpex-mx-auto wpex-last-mr-0 wpex-text-center\"><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you heard of Cajun culture before? What do you think of it? Let me know below!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><div class=\"vcex-module vcex-divider-dots wpex-mx-auto wpex-last-mr-0 wpex-text-center\"><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><span class=\"wpex-inline-block wpex-rounded-full wpex-mr-10\" style=\"background:#dd3333;\"><\/span><\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23001\" src=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-culture-pin.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-culture-pin.png 1000w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-culture-pin-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-culture-pin-683x1024.png 683w, https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-culture-pin-768x1152.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cajun culture is one of the most unique and best preserved cultures in the country &#8211; and the majority of us have barely heard of it! Or, if we have, it\u2019s through the typical Hollywood stereotypes. I can attest that after my visit, those stereotypes couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. There\u2019s so much to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":22994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"post_series":[],"class_list":["post-22991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations","entry","has-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>8 Cool Facts About Cajun Culture - Samantha Brown&#039;s Places to Love<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/samantha-brown.com\/destinations\/8-cool-facts-about-cajun-culture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 Cool Facts About Cajun Culture - Samantha Brown&#039;s Places to Love\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cajun culture is one of the most unique and best preserved cultures in the country &#8211; and the majority of us have barely heard of it! Or, if we have, it\u2019s through the typical Hollywood stereotypes. I can attest that after my visit, those stereotypes couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. 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