MONTREAL — After touching down in Montreal on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, traveler Eric Wellford, unsure of the local customs, took an immense leap of faith by deciding to get profoundly drunk.
“I wasn’t sure what I was entering into when I first arrived,” explained the New Zealand resident. “Someone yelled ‘Bonne Saint-Jean!’ to me on the street. That was my first clue into the customs of this strange and exotic people.”
Wellford said he entered a public park in an effort to learn more about the traditions surrounding the celebration. “Would there be dancing? Costumes? Ritual sacrifices? I had no way of knowing.”
However, as the intrepid traveler tentatively raised a first beer to his lips, he immediately felt at one with the native Montrealais.
“I just dove in headfirst,” laughed Wellford. “I’m lucky I didn’t offend anyone.”
The young tourist reported that after a few more beers, he immersed himself in the celebrations by parading around the park and yelling the only two French words he knew: “merci!” and “pamplemousse!”
“The air was buzzing with lyrical snippets of the local dialect like “Calice!” and “Ferme ta yul!” beamed Wellford. “I don’t know what they were saying. Beautiful language though.”
Wellford later posted on his personal travel blog that he felt grateful for getting to celebrate with the locals in such a unique and authentic way.
