MOOSE JAW — A roaring sea of green and yellow filled downtown Moose Jaw as the city’s Francophone community celebrated its rich heritage with the annual “Tintamarre” parade on the morning of March 26.
Organized by the Association communautaire fransaskoise de Moose Jaw (ACFMJ), the parade began at the Crescent Park Amphitheatre and wound its way to École Ducharme School. More than 500 participants — including students, teachers, police officers, and other residents — marched, waving flags and making joyful noise with bells, whistles, and other noisemakers.
Christian Poumeni, ACFMJ’s community officer, energized the crowd as they paraded through the streets, making noise to symbolize the resilience and pride of the Francophone community.
“We are excited to let Moose Jaw know we have a big Francophone population here,” he said earlier. “It’s a celebration of our culture and our ability to speak and learn French.”
Participants represented five schools that offer French-language instruction or French immersion programs, alongside students from the University of Regina’s La Cité universitaire francophone. City officials, local dignitaries, and members of the Moose Jaw Police Service also joined in the celebration.
Tintamarre, meaning “racket” or “uproar” in French, is a longstanding Acadian tradition that unites French speakers across Canada. The tradition dates back to 1955, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the British expulsion of the Acadians. It has since grown into a joyful celebration of Francophone heritage.
Following the parade, a ceremony at École Ducharme featured French-language speeches, commending the participants and encouraging them to embrace their bilingualism.
To learn more about ACFMJ and available French-language services, visit ACFMJ.ca or “ACF Moose Jaw — Communauté francophone” on Facebook. You can also call 306-692-8112 or email [email protected].
