LAFAYETTE, La. — People from all over Louisiana came to celebrate their Creole culture at Vermilionville for the Creole Day celebration.
“If you turn me upside down and shake me seasoning does not come out it’s not like that. It’s language, food, architecture, family, religion… It’s all of those things together,” Tracey Antee said.
Tracey Antee told me she is passionate about events that educates people about Creole culture. Antee says there are often misconceptions on what Creole is so having events to educate others on Creole culture is important. Especially for the upcoming generations who may not know much about their own Creole culture.
“I see so many children and young people here and we have to have them here to preserve our culture," Antee said. "So the more we can have different organizations that are here and be able to have these type of events, the more information and knowledge we’re able to put out so preservation can happen.”
Antee says not only is the Creole Day event good for educating the youth, but also to bring back Creole people who moved away that don’t get to experience their culture as much.
“Sometimes we take for granted what we see every day because we get to live here but things like this and what other organizations do it’s really about bringing that out to other Creole communities that may be outside of Louisiana,” Antee said.
Antee told me her favorite thing about being Creole is the different backgrounds from her ancestors.
“I am such a mixture of these wonderful things that my ancestors gave me," Antee said. "I have things about me that I can connect to great great grandparents and I can say that I do this because, or I believe this because.”
Antee says she’s passionate about continuing to share knowledge about Creole culture and she loves to see events such as Creole Day happen in Louisiana.
Vermilionville celebrates Creole Day every year at the beginning of June.
