Écouter les clochettes (Listen to the bells) Du joyeux temps des fêtes (of the joyful holiday times) Annonçant la joie de chaque cœur qui bat (announcing the joy of each beating heart) Au royaume du bonhomme hiver (in the kingdom of the Winter Snowman)
Sung to the tune of “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”, I grew up belting out this French-Canadian classic “Au Royaume du Bonhomme Hiver” every winter at our school holiday gala.
The weeks leading up to the gala were always a treat: grammar and math lessons were replaced with choir, theatre, and dance class as we prepared to present Canadian winter folklore traditions to our families and friends.
It was thrilling to imagine ourselves in the kingdom of the Winter Snowman, and we revelled in learning about other mythical figures like the bonhomme de neige, the mascot of the famous Quebec Winter Carnival, who ushers in celebrations wearing his red hat and sash.
Since time immemorial and from coast to coast to coast, these types of Canadian folklore practices have kept our unique and multifaceted winter traditions alive, allowing us to thrive in and learn from the colder, darker months.
What is folklore?
Folklore refers to the traditional material passed down through generations, either through oral storytelling or other cultural practices. Indigenous peoples, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, were the first to practise folklore on Turtle Island, or the land now often referred to as Canada.
Through verbal and nonverbal practices—like dance, music, and crafts—Indigenous communities pass down information, wisdom, and values that allow them to make sense of the world. At special occasions like potlatches, storytelling holds an honoured place for getting through the winter dark.
“During our potlatch, we share in our songs and our stories, in our language and in our art, in our traditions, and in our deep relationship with our lands and waters,” says Haida storyteller Cohen Bradley in his 2023 TED talk on how to weave a cultural legacy through storytelling.
“Storytelling is the main thing in our way of life, because that’s how you learn about your culture and your language,” says the late Cree First Nation Elder Jerry Wood in a video produced for the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium.
Looking forward
Folklore doesn’t need to be about the past: stories can also be a powerful way to reimagine the future. For example, Atlanthos: Youth-Driven Innovation Through Afrofuturistic Storytelling, a 2024 exhibit at the University of British Colombia’s Museum of Anthropology, used speculative and multimedia storytelling to envision a more just, equitable, and harmonious society.
Canadian folklore today
Despite centuries of oppression, Indigenous communities in Canada continue to maintain vibrant folklore traditions that teach us about our environment and ourselves, and European settlers to the country also brought their own folklore traditions.
Competitive flècheurs
In Métis culture, there is a word for a designated storyteller: flècheur, loosely translated as “he who shoots the arrow.” On cold winter nights, Métis communities gather to hear the most fantastical stories that could be told, with the winner sometimes receiving a prize.
Heroic Lumiuk and villainous Mahaha
Traditional Inuit stories, orally passed down by Elders, are experiencing a resurgence in popularity thanks to preservation efforts. Whether focusing on heroes like Lumiuk, an abused, blind boy who finds refuge in the sea, or supernatural beings like Mahaha, a demon figure who tickles its victims to death unless outsmarted, Inuit teachings reinforce close relationships with nature and impart social codes.
Disguised and performing mummers
An old custom from the UK and Ireland, during Christmastime in Newfoundland and Labrador, merrymakers, referred to as mummers, visit their friends’ houses in disguise—forcing hosts to poke, prod, and question them in order to guess their identities, before everyone indulges in some festive food and wine.
Soothsaying groundhogs
Originally a medieval pagan tradition, the practice of declaring winter over or extended based on a groundhog’s reaction to its own shadow was brought to Canada by German immigrants. In Ontario, a groundhog named Wiarton Willie emerges every year on February 2 to a crowd eagerly waiting to find out if spring will grace them early.
A wealth of global traditions
There are many examples of traditions brought to Canada from afar: • Some Chinese-Canadian communities celebrate Dongzhi, a winter solstice festival that draws lessons from traditional stories to emphasize rest; relaxation; and eating nourishing, symbolic foods. • Each January, Punjabi-Canadian communities gather to sing, dance, pray, and eat in honour of Lohri, a winter solstice holiday involving festive bonfires.
These examples barely scratch the surface: there are as many winter folklore traditions as there are cultural groups in Canada.
Bring home the power of stories
Storytelling is a great way to improve kids’ comprehension skills while transmitting important information. Ask your local bookstore about Indigenous storybooks for children, which convey cultural customs and moral values and are often published in various languages.
Educators can also consider working storytelling into school curriculums, including math and science. For example, as part of its math literacy program, Simon Fraser University offers The Adventures of Small Number, a series of math-related stories drawing on the storytelling traditions of Indigenous peoples.
This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of alive magazine.
Isabela Bonnevera is a freelance writer from Vancouver now based in Barcelona. She is a founding editor of <Feminist Food Journal>, a magazine and podcast dedicated to feminist perspectives on food and culture.
Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM
Alex Sarra-Davis
Alissa Mohammed