Fête de Cadeau

Fête de Cadeau
Event Information
Location	New Orleans
Date(s)	March 4th, 1919 March 4th, 2013
Participants	Witches of New Orleans
Description	The witches give a gift to the city in hopes that the favor will be returned.

Fête de Kado is a day celebrated by the witches of New Orleans in which they give a gift to the city in hopes that it will return the favor. The celebration of Fête de Kado has been celebrated since the early 20th century by the witches of New Orleans. Along with the celebration of Fête de Kado, the people of New Orleans also celebrate 'Axeman's Jazz', a festival where people dress up as ax murderers and play Jazz music as loud as possible, in respect for the Axeman of 1919.

History

Vincent: "What? The year was 1919, and after terrorizing the city for months with an actual ax, he writes a letter to the Times-Picayune. Claims he's a demon. He says he's gonna kill thousands the next night. Only way he wouldn't was if every house in the city threw a party and played jazz as loud as it could. Every single house in the city did. No one died! Haha! Now, some people think it was a vampire. He was actually a witch."

Camille: "How do you know he's a witch?"

Vincent: "Oh, he's a witch. The day he chose was Fête de Kado. That's the day that every witch gives a gift to the city in hopes that the city gives one back. Now, Axeman's "idea" of gift was not murdering people for a day, and in return?"

— The Axeman's Letter

On the day before Fête de Kado in 1919, the famous ax murderer, who had been terrorizing New Orleans for months, wrote a letter to the local newspaper. In the letter, he detailed his plans to kill thousands the next night, on Fête de Kado, unless the people of New Orleans played Jazz music as loud as they could. Every house played Jazz music and in return, nobody died. The witches believe that the Axeman's version of a 'gift to the city' is not murdering anybody, and in return, New Orleans threw him the biggest party the city had ever seen. Many of the people believed that the Axeman was a demon, according to Vincent he was a witch.

Trivia

• It is possible that by giving a gift to the city, the witches are actually giving a gift to the Ancestors.
• Traditionally, the witches give animals such as goats and pigs as presents.
• As Regent, Josephine would wear a blue or orange ribbon around her neck when officiating the ceremony.
  • Davina wore a blue ribbon during her first Fête de Kado, following in the footsteps of former Regent Josephine.