The annual Festival of New France commemorates the history of the French colony in North America from 1534 to 1760, and is celebrated annually in Old Québec.
Today, after church, my son and I took part in Les Fetes de la Nouvelle France
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| we stopped for a picnic at the park inside Old Québec |
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| climb aboard one of the many canons atop of the walled city |
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| took a peek at the summer crowds on a usually quiet street |
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| met a solider ... |
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| ... aka probably a student in costume |
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| watched REAL gun powder fire! |
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| and chatted with the Filles du Roy, sent from France to settle here |
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| and we dressed up too! |
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| playing in the park |
A little history from the 16th century:
"... In the growing colony, tradesmen and small farmers made up the bulk of the French population, along with merchants, soldiers, laborers, members of the middle class, several nobles and clergymen, the Filles du Roy, coureurs des bois, and a few slaves.
French North America reached its peak in the 18th century. By this time, its boundaries had expanded considerably to encompass over half of the continent, extending all the way from Hudson Bay to Louisiana, and including a goodly portion of the present-day Maritime provinces, the entire St. Lawrence Valley, the Great Lakes Basin, and the Mississippi Valley. Like the other European powers of the time, France hoped to find a route across the continent to the Western Sea, and on to Asia.
However, the British colonies, already a threat, became too populous and encircled New France. In 1713, France ceded Newfoundland, Acadia, and Hudson Bay to England under the Treaty of Utrecht. In the time of peace that followed, New France’s economy took off once more, allowing France to prepare for war.
And it was not long before war came. New France was conquered in 1760 and handed over to England once and for all three years later under the Treaty of Paris. Only Louisiana remained in French hands,
but it too was ultimately ceded to the United States in 1803." ... to read more of the history visit
Les Fetes de la Nouvelle France
