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|   What was life like on a long sea voyage from Connecticut to Nova Scotia (hint: smelly!)? What kind of clothes did girl's like Elizabeth wear? What is the difference between a Cajun and an Acadian? Onboard Life In 1762, when Elizabeth and her family moved from Connecticut to Nova Scotia, there was only one way to travel a long distance: by ship. There were no airplanes or trains or cars, and although you could travel in a wagon pulled by horses, there were very few roads (and most roads then were little more than dirt paths). But ships were very unpleasant places -- nothing like the luxurious cruise ships of today. Elizabeth and the other passengers had to sleep below the ship's deck in dark, cramped areas called holds. Many people were crammed together with no running water, so no one could take a bath. For a toilet, people had to use a bucket. The trip to Nova Scotia took a long time -- two weeks or more. (Today you can drive from Connecticut to Nova Scotia in a day or two.) Sometimes the ship might run into bad weather, which slowed it down. Bad weather also meant everyone had to stay below deck, crammed in the dark, smelly hold. At least in good weather you could walk on the deck and smell the fresh air. People often got sick when travelling at sea, not only because they suffered from seasickness (if you've ever been carsick you'll know what this is like) but also because the dirty, crowded conditions made it easy to catch diseases from other people. Sometimes passengers died and were simply thrown overboard. The food on ships was terrible: dried or salted meat and fish, ship's biscuit (a hard cracker that often had squirming bugs in it), and ale or beer to drink (even for kids!), since water went "off" very easily. There were hardly any vegetables or fruit. By the end of a long trip, passengers were usually very hungry indeed! GO BACK TO THE TOP Stays and Stockings In Bless This House, Elizabeth hides away her best dress and stockings, hoping that she won't have to wear them. It might seem a bit odd to hide away your nicest clothes, but Elizabeth had a good reason: they were really uncomfortable. Parents in the 1700s were very serious and strict with children. Not only were children expected to behave as if they were grown-ups -- which is pretty hard when you just want to have fun! -- they also had to wear clothes that were very similar to grown-ups' clothes. So, instead of wearing a comfortable T-shirt, shorts and flip-flops in the summertime, girls like Elizabeth had to wear all of the following garments. Try to imagine what it would be like to wear these clothes on the hottest day of the summer! First you put on a linen shift, which looked a bit like a nightgown, and on top of that a pair of "stays." Stays were a stiff piece of cloth (sometimes pieces of wood or whalebone were added to make them extra stiff) that were wrapped around your middle to make you stand up straight. Once the stays were laced up, you put on your petticoats. These were full skirts, sometimes with ruffles on the bottom, and could be quite heavy (although they did help keep you warm in winter). Then it was time for your gown or frock. It had a long skirt and a bodice, or top, that fastened in the back. It fit quite tightly and the sleeves were tight as well. On top of this you wore an apron and sometimes also a shawl or kerchief that went over your shoulders and criss-crossed in front (just like the one Elizabeth is wearing on the front cover of Bless This House). You always had to wear something on your head: usually it was a plain gathered cap with a ruffle at the edge, but sometimes you might wear a straw hat on top of the cap to keep the sun off your face. Last but not least -- stockings! These were knitted by hand and came up to just above your knees, where they were tied on with ribbons, or garters. On your feet you wore leather shoes -- there weren't any sneakers in the 1700s! Since shoes were expensive most kids did without in the summertime. GO BACK TO THE TOP Acadians and Cajuns In the southern state of Louisiana, in the United States, there is a group of people called Cajuns. They are well known for their food -- chicken gumbo, crawfish, and Tabasco sauce are all Cajun specialties -- and for their cultural traditions, which include a big festival called Mardi Gras, which takes place each winter just before the Roman Catholic season of Lent. The biggest Mardi Gras festivalin North America is in New Orleans, a big city in Louisiana. Cajun people also have their own language, which is very similar to French. But did you know that many of those Cajun people in Louisiana are the descendants of the Acadians who were deported from Nova Scotia in 1755? Although the Acadians were allowed to return home at the end of the Seven Years War in 1763, many chose to settle in Louisiana, which was then a French colony. Over the years many other groups of people moved to the area, and their cultures combined to make the Cajun culture of today. GO BACK TO THE TOP |
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