Information on Christmas and New Years in Colonial St. Louis:

Christmas was a special time of year, by which trading parties and batteaumen tried to be back in St. Louis. Kitchens began to fill with the scents of cooking and baking, and the best bottles of homemade spirits were brought out. The women baked a store of croquecignolles, a sort of doughnut or cruller, fashioned and fried in elaborate shapes. Pies, cakes, croquecignolles, and a glass of ratafia (a sweet, semi-distilled rum made from molasses) were handed to visitors. With nightfall on Christmas Eve, decorations were arranged and cooking was finished. Everyone dressed in their best clothes, and turned their thoughts to holy things, waiting for the midnight hour. The inhabitants made their way to the log church for midnight mass. After services the crowds filed out to reassemble in the home of the patriarch of their respective families for the réveillon, an elaborate Christmas breakfast. It was a type of family reunion, and an occasion to express and acknowledge family love and affection. The rest of the day was taken up with religious exercises at the church. When evening began to fall neighbors began to gather in the largest nearby house for dancing.

On New Year's Eve, soon after nightfall, the young men of the village gathered at a rendezvous, wearing masks and costumes. Each carried a sack, basket or bucket in which food and drink could be placed. They went about as a group to each house in the village, singing their song for La Guignolée, translated into English by Judge Primm in the 19th century:

"Good-night, master and mistress, and all abiding here!
For the first day of the year you owe us the guignolée.
If you have nothing to give us, say so.
We do not ask you to give us much,
- a chine; a chine of pork is not very long, ninety feet long, that is all we ask.
We do not ask much, once more, only the eldest daughter of the house.
We will give her good cheer and have her feet kept warm.
We salute the company, beg them to excuse us if we have perpetrated any folly.
It was only for fun and to make fun.
Another time we will be more careful,
- when it is time for us to come again.
Let us dance the rag-dance
Let us dance the rag-dance
Let us dance the rag-dance!
Good-night, master and mistress, and people of the house!"

The song was either of African-American origin, or in imitation of African-Americans. The young men held out their baskets and asked for donations, each capering "in the rag-dance." Donations were in the form of goods that would be of service in an upcoming festival, such as sugar, maple sugar, coffee, lard, flour, candles, syrup, eggs, meat, poultry and ratafia. As they departed they sang the chorus until they came to the next house, where the same performance was given once more. At the end of the night, the provisions collected were put away for a future occasion.

At daybreak the next day the entire population of the village attended mass. Later, each in turn asked for a paternal blessing from the family patriarch, each child, grandchild, and great-grandchild showing fealty to the family head for another year. After the blessings and breakfast, villagers started to exchange visits. Old feuds and animosities from the past year were forgiven on this day. Children went to visit their godfathers and godmothers, and received from them their étrennes (New Year's presents). The evening generally wound up with a New Year's ball.

Twelfth Night was the holiday that children looked upon as their own. This Feast of the Epiphany (January 6), commemorating the worship and presents brought to the infant Jesus by the wise men of the East, was the holiday upon which the goods collected by the young men who "ran la guignolée" were used. A fitting house was decorated for the festival, the women cooked the guignolée food and a feast was prepared. In addition to the other food and sweets, a special Twelfth Night cake was baked by the girls, with four beans mixed into the dough in the pan. The feast was consumed, and as the fiddles were tuned up for the dancing, the cake was cut. Each lady whose slice contained a bean became queen of the revels, and could choose a man to be her king, presenting him with a bouquet. The dancing began with an elderly couple, then the floor was turned over to the young people. Before midnight a time and place was set for the first of the King's Balls, at which all were expected to attend without further invitation. The four kings just chosen would bear the expenses of this ball.

At the close of the first "King's Ball," the queens selected four new kings, who in turn selected four queens for the next King's Ball. This round of festivities continued until Shrove Tuesday and the carnival (Mardi Gras), after which the more sober season of Lent began.