Program

Legends & Lore®

Subject

Arts & Culture, Folklore, Religion

Location

Cotton Queen Square, Cottonport Ave, Cottonport, LA 71327, USA

Lat/Long

30.984663, -92.054137

Grant Recipient

Avoyelles Commission of Tourism les oeufs meaning

Come Eastertime, throughout south Louisiana one will hear the celebratory pock pocking of hard-boiled eggs, a long-known tradition throughout Avoyelles Parish. With the area’s strong French and Acadian influence, the term “pock” was derived from the French word for Easter, “Pâques.” Organized egg-pocking contests are held in communities all through the parish, and families gather on Easter Sunday to have their own contests at home. The town of Cottonport hosts its annual egg pocking contest at the Pockin’ on the Bayou Festival held each spring.

In an egg-pocking competition, the best eggs are carefully chosen, prepared, and decorated. The hard-boiled eggs are then knocked, or pocked, against each other and whoever has the intact egg at the end of the contest is the big winner. This beloved annual tradition reflects this area’s unique cultural heritage, passed from one generation to the next.