Madame Grand Doigts is still alive

Christmas is done and basically I'm finding related videos to post for time. Main focus now for me is driving and trucks. Mardi Gras is also coming soon but I think I'll be working. Not in New Orleans area but somewhere.

Bonne année et bonne santé!

I love Madame Grand Doigts, however, all she left me was work, the putain.  I also work this weekend in Eunice.  But I chose to do that because I’m couillon for a piastre.  It seems like this is the first New Year’s Eve/Day that didn’t fall on the weekend.  I can’t remember.  I’ll eat black eye peas later.  I’ll eat boudin and gratons today at work.  An objective will be to learn the French word for black eye peas and cabbage.  And it’s going to rain.  I love working in the rain.

Anyway, I had fun yesterday asking different people if Madame will pass.  Some looked at me crazy.  Some said “oh yeah, she goin pass.”  It’s true.  Several people actually, Ville Platters, didn’t know about her.  I didn’t ask about Mrs. Santa Claus though.  I’m sure they would have recognized that femme.  She ain’t cool, though, like Lady Big Fingers.   

Dear Chopin, what exactly did you just say?

“Yere,” he said, handing it to her, “I think this is the pretties’ ; an’ it look’ strong too.  I’m sho’ it will break all of the res’.”  (Love On The Bon-Dieu – Chopin’s reference to pocking eggs)

“Who say’ so?  Who say she’s canaille?  If it’s a man, I’ll smash ‘is head!” he exclaimed, livid.  They all laughed merrily at this.”  (Love On The Bon-Dieu – Chopin)

“Ef you will give me one good drink tisane, Tante Lizette, I b’lieve I’m goin’ sleep, me.”  (Beyond The Bayou – Chopin)

“’La Chatte, I wants some croquignoles, an’ I wants ‘em quick, too.’ I ‘low : ‘G’ ‘way f’om dah, boy. Don’ you see I’s flutin’ yo’ ma’s petticoat?” (A No-Account Creole – Chopin)

I checked out Chopin’s collection of short stories called Bayou Folk from the Ville Platte library.  I read them before, as well as Cable’s short stories, but wanted to look though Chopin’s stuff for certain things.  I found a reference to pocking eggs but I’m still looking for stuff like burying nombrils at birth, seeing blood in the ground if dug on Good Friday, etc.  I like finding old stuff like that in literature and see how we’re still doing those customs today.  I really wanted to find a reference to Madame Grand Doigts but so far I haven’t seen any.  She used a lot of French words and expressions and local English dialect in her writings.  I can only imagine if she had spent some time in Evangeline Parish back then.   Her writings would have given us an idea of how our ancestors talked and acted.

(looked on Internet and you can read her stuff here: Kate Chopin )

Madame Grand Doigts

Madame Grand Doigts is a favorite subject for me.  I know one day I'll read about the origins of this folk character.

Madame Grand Doigts research

I must be in love with this woman because I keep mentioning her.  I like folklore and I find it interesting that this folk story and custom has not been researched.  I googled her once again and saw some references to the character, including my posts where I’m having fun with it.  I read a new article that was written and read the interview done with Amanda Lafleur.  Both are interesting but they don’t go further into the origins of the story and how it developed.  I drive a truck and deliver beer all day so I’m unable to do any research except quick internet searches.  But if I had the time I would start with reading old newspapers from the Acadiana region around January 1^st. That’s when she’s active nowadays and maybe a fun editorial or commentary was written.  Acadiana regions would maybe have different versions of her.  You could possibly see her character change through the years up until now.  Another way to search, especially if you know French, would be to email reference librarians in France or Quebec.  Visit French websites that deal with folklore or history and contact someone.  I’m sure her origins are from France.  Maybe she came from Quebec or Acadia.  She came from somewhere and she’s still around in 2012.

Questions:

Where did Madame Grand Doigts come from and what’s her real story?

Who brought her to Louisiana?

When did she marry Santa Claus and become, by some, Mrs. Santa Claus?

Is she bipolar?

Why does she visit on New Year’s Day and did she always come on that day?

Why are her gifts “simple” compared to gifts from Santa Claus?

How did she become disfigured?

I’m sure someone will find the answers and I could then quit talking about her.

Interview avec Madame Grand Doigt

-Fiction-

MHé: Bonjour Madame! Comment ca va?

MGD: Whatever. Look, don't try to humor Madame Grand Doigt by using your pathetic, limited knowledge of French.

MHé: Sure, whatever. You recently divorced Jolly St. Nick and one of your grievances was that he was too soft on the bad kids. Madame, Santa did keep a list of who was naughty and who was nice - kids didn't receive gifts on Christmas if they were bad.

MDG: Give me a [expletive] break, man. The little heathens played that fat [expletive] for the stupid [expletive] that he is. They acted nice for one month and then said [expletive] it, now we got our toys and we'll act up. And here Madame Grand Doigt comes, suppose to bring gifts on New Year's Day, knowing damn well what the little brats were doing. Madame Grand Doigt hated it, man. Like back in the day, kids stayed good all [expletive] year because they knew, they knew MGD would take them down. You feel Madame Grand Doigt? They were scared, man. And the really pathetic thing is that Santa knew that crap. Yeah, sure, he watched them all year and he knew what was up. But he always forgave them if they behaved one [expletive] month. That's weak, man, weak.

MHé: You used to bring healthy things for the kids, like apples and oranges. What made you switch to cheap, little toys and candy?

MGD: Man, look, it's like everything. Madame Grand Doigt brought good, healthy stuff for the good kids and took care of the brats - made sure that kids would grow up strong and good. But that all changed. Ol' jolly stupid [expletive] had to change that for me. Happy, happy, happy - blah, blah, blah. Kids got spoiled, lazy and whiny. Damn, it burns Madame up just thinking about that. But that's ok. Madame is back in town, baby, and things are gonna change.

MHé: Madame, what did happen to those bad kids that were never found again?

MGD: hehehehee.

MHé: What's so funny? Where did those kids go?

MGD: hehehehehe.

MHé: You're starting to freak me out.

MGD: Well, let me put it to you this way, back in the day Madame Grand Doigt was never hungry! What's the matter? Where you going? You scared, neg? You better be! Run home, neg, run home to your Mouman! Tell everyone that Madame Grand Doigt is back and she don't give a [expletive]!

Madame Grand Doigt divorces Santa Claus

Madame Grand Doigt announced her divorce from Santa Claus Monday afternoon at the Evangeline Parish Courthouse. Waving triumphantly to the people gathered outside the courthouse, she exclaimed that she was finally free.

"I had enough of all that crap," she said. "I was tired of being a goody-two shoes, always bringing gifts, even for those little brats who deserved a beating instead - I used to be respected." Madame Grand Doigt said she will resume her previous role as a deterrent to kids "acting up." No more will children expect to receive gifts on New Year's Day no matter how bad they behaved after Christmas. Now they will face what their grandparents faced, the possibility of their Christmas gifts taken away and even possible harm to their lives.

Madame Grand Doigt was once feared in certain parts of south Louisiana. She took Christmas gifts away from children that misbehaved after Christmas. Some children mysteriously disappeared and were never found again. That fear, however, was replaced with joy when she married Santa Claus in approximately 1935. There was a new attitude and everyone received gifts on New Year's Day.

Her name changed to Mrs. Santa Claus and her style changed to red dresses - she had previously worn dirty, old brown rags. She also learned English and had stopped speaking French, except in instances where she was upset with Santa Claus - French was heard by all. "Man, she tore the big guy up," said an elf speaking on anonymity. "She cussed in French, threw pots at him, and even tried to kill one of the deer one night for... I believe she said she wanted to cook a sauce or something like that."

A tearful Santa Claus refused to discuss the matter in great detail. He did say that he tried to make her happy but they had different philosophies. "She was always disagreeing with me, calling me names and putting me down - I don't even know what a 'grow bet fee pew tan' is - she called me that quite often."

Santa Claus did say that Christmas will go on and he's currently looking for a new Mrs. Santa Claus.

Is Madame Grand Doigt really mean?

Man, it’s getting close to the New Year and I’m starting to get worried. I always got nice things from the big fingered femme but now I don’t know what to expect; she might have been waiting all these years to do me evil.

“…La plupart des jeunes ont eu peur dans leur petite enfance de Madame Grand-Doigt, cette horrible vieille femme aux longs doigts osseux qui se nouent autour de cou, ou encore pire,...”

From Google translator:

The majority of the young people were afraid in their early childhood of Mrs Large-Finger, this horrible old woman with the long osseous fingers which are tied around neck, or worse,…

This comes from an article I got in the mail via library:

Les Materiaux ethniques et l’enseignement du francais: l’experience louisianaise
Par Mathe Allain, Gerard St. Martin, et Jaqueline Voorhies
The French Review , No. 6, May 1979 page 864

I’m looking for more info on her so I can maybe psyche her out if she decides to be mean with me.

Madame Grand Doigt

Mrs. Long Finger? (Mrs. Santa Claus) It sounds almost sinister but she passed on New Year's Eve to leave gifts. I had to jog my memory in L'Anse Grise and visited Mom and Dad this matin for more memories. Dad said she used to leave apples, oranges, etc in the tree. She would place them between the branches. Mom said Maw Maw and Paw Paw, who were younger than Maw Maw/Paw Paw on my Dad's side, would go out on New Year's and then tell the kids in the matin that Madame Grand Doigt had probably left the goods in the char. She never made into the maison but instead left the fruit and firecrackers among the party hats, etc. Maw Maw then would make a salad and Mom and them would pop the firecrackers.

Dad also told me that people in Mamou would say she was mean; she would take away the presents that Santa brought on Christmas. That, however, would only happen to the mean kids. I'm going to have to look for anything Pascal wrote for more info.

Me, I remember finding football cards in my shoe or stocking. I also got ink pens, calculators, small Matchbox cars, etc. My brother reminded me that he got the Stars Wars Millennium Falcon one time. It didn't fit into his shoe.