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Provinces and Territories · Drawing 11 of 42

The Acadian tintamarre

New Brunswick — August 15

Colouring illustration: The Acadian tintamarre
An imagined parade with no flags or stars; costumes and instruments are simplified.© Atlasmio · All rights reserved

August 15 is National Acadian Day. In the tintamarre, children and adults parade, making a joyful racket with pots and drums.

Look together

What would you use to make a joyful noise?

An idea to try

Make a shaker from a well-closed container with a few pieces of dry pasta, then hold a little parade. Agree together on a signal to stop the noise.

For the adult reading along

A little more to discover

Acadians have celebrated their national day on August 15 since 1881, when the first National Acadian Convention met in Memramcook, New Brunswick; a federal act recognized it in 2003. The tintamarre is more recent: the first was held in Moncton in 1955 to mark the bicentenary of the Deportation, and it later became a symbol of affirmation. Today, at 5:55 p.m., thousands of people make pots and drums ring out.

Talk with your child about the fun of making noise together to show that Acadia is alive and well. You can explain simply that Acadians were once forced from their lands, and that more than 300,000 Acadians live in Atlantic Canada today.

Sources and context (3)

These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.

  • Canadian Heritage — National Acadian DayAcadians have celebrated August 15 since 1881, the year of the first national Acadian convention in Memramcook, New Brunswick; National Acadian Day Act passed in 2003.
  • The Canadian Encyclopedia — TintamarreFirst tintamarre in Moncton in 1955 for the bicentenary of the expulsion; noise made with pots, spoons, horns, whistles and instruments; by 1979 a symbol of affirmation rather than mourning.
  • Société Nationale de l’Acadie — L’Acadie (in French)August 15 chosen in 1881 at Memramcook; tintamarre at 5:55 p.m. local time with pots and drums, expressing Acadian vitality and solidarity; Deportation 1755–1763; more than 300,000 Acadians in Atlantic Canada.

Source review: 2026-09-24. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.