An exploration of the November fifth bonfire celebration in Brigus, Newfoundland

Schwoeffermann, Catherine Ann (1981) An exploration of the November fifth bonfire celebration in Brigus, Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

In many parts of Newfoundland the November fifth Bonfire Night is still a strong and vital tradition. This study focuses on one particular community's enactment of the occasion. In Brigus, Conception Bay, the bonfire celebration has maintained its popularity up to the present day, in spite of the fact that other social occasions of the community have been altered by "modernization." -- The Brigus celebration can be divided into two distinct types of bonfire events, familial and neighbourhood-groups of adolescents. Each of these share common characteristics which include physio-spatial location of the fire, socio-spatial location of the fire, participation, means of collecting materials, and representation of everyday norms and ideals. Though all of these involve a degree of movement, the manner in which movement is expressed in the characteristics of each of the respective events is quite different. In the family events the movement is inward-directed and expressive of the maintenance of family unity, while the neighbourhood-group events are outward-directed and are representative of a more extended exploration of the surrounding natural and social environment. These two different types of movement, in turn, display and express attitudes and meanings that exist outside of the celebratory context. In effect, the celebration can be looked at as a stylized rendition of idealized norms concerning two different stages of childhood in Brigus, early childhood and adolescence.

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