Strange Truths and Tall Tales: Product of Newfoundland

In this episode I’ve got all kinds of Candlemas lore from Newfoundland -- everything from weather predictions to bear stories and card games it’s pleasant distraction from the winter weather. (PS... I'm not old enough to have read a newspaper in 1902, no matter what I say.)

I also share the story of The Little Candlemas Bear. On Candlemas Day, Little Bear wakes to find his shadow missing. His search leads to a warm home, a wise Grandmother, and a wintery secret.

Read: ⁠The Little Candlemas Bear ⁠, Product of Newfoundland

Credits and more on the episode page.

If you’re from Newfoundland, you probably already know that Tibb’s Eve means December 23rd. It’s the unofficial start of Christmas—when the holiday buzz really kicks in and everyone’s back home, ready to reconnect with old friends. But Tibb’s Eve didn’t always mean celebration.

Once upon a time, it was actually known as a day that would never come—a day ‘neither before nor after Christmas,’ in other words, it was never supposed to happen at all.

Now, how did it land on December 23rd? Well, that’s a bit of a mystery. No one really knows, but somehow, it did. And now, we get to enjoy it—a day that was never meant to be, has become an early start to holiday celebrations. It’s a day of friends and fun.

This episode’s story is set on Tibb’s Eve, in the picturesque and historic town of Trinity (a place that’s especially cozy and charming at Christmas). In the story Tibb’s Eve becomes a night when time doesn’t quite follow the usual rules.

So, grab a hot drink, settle in, and join Clara as she finds herself in a Tibb’s Eve evening she’ll never forget.

Credits, Sources & Further Reading at:

​https://www.productofnewfoundland.ca/podcast/tibbs-eve-trinity

Part One: Jailhouse Jannies

In this episode, we’re diving into the spirit — and  mischief — of Christmas in Newfoundland.

First, I’ve got an old story from Trinity, where one group of mummers wound up in jail… but that was far from the worst thing to happen to them. I call the story Jannies in the Jailhouse.

I’ve come across this tale a number of times in my travels but I based my retelling on a version shared in the Daily News’ ‘Trinity Notes’ section on January 3, 1955.

Part Two: Tyler Humber of Kitchinparti

I’m excited to welcome Tyler Humber of Kitchinparti, the ECMA-nominated family trio known for their high-energy performances, harmonies, and dedication to keeping Newfoundland’s musical traditions alive. Made up of Tyler (vocals, guitar), his sister Terri Lynn Hickey (vocals, tin whistle), and brother-in-law Justin Hickey (vocals, bass), Kitchinparti embodies the spirit of a true Newfoundland kitchen party—which is to say they bring people atogether with music, laughter, and stories.

Since forming about four years ago, Kitchinparti has been adding their own original songs to Newfoundland’s musical catalog while reimagining traditional favorites. They’re currently working on their third album with producer Matt Dines, set to release in the summer of 2025.

This holiday season, the band is celebrating the tradition of mummering with their new single, Plank’er Down.

Written by Charlie Payne and made famous by Uncle Harry’s Bar Band, the ‘Plank’er Down’ captures the fun energy of mummers as they visit homes late into the night.

I’m thrilled to chat with Tyler about Plank’er Down, the band’s roots, and classic Newfoundland hors d’ouvers.

Part Three: Martha’s Dance With The Mummer

Finally a brand new story; a ghostly tale from Bonavista Bay about a woman’s last dance with a mummer. It’s a story of love and loss, and maybe even the fulfillment of a Christmas promise from long ago… the whole town wants to get a glimpse behind the mummer’s mask, instead the get a glimpse beyond the veil.

Credits, Sources & Further Reading at

https://www.productofnewfoundland.ca/podcast/mummers-kitchinparti

Part One: Newfoundland Adopts Right-Hand Drive

On January 2, 1947, Newfoundland made a switch that had everyone—drivers, pedestrians, and even horses—feeling a bit jittery.

Just past midnight, the colony's roads transformed as Newfoundlanders were suddenly required to drive on the right side of the road, leaving behind decades of left-side driving.

The change symbolized a shift away from British ties and toward a North American alignment. In retrospect, it was the harbinger of a bigger changes to come.

Read more: ⁠The Day Newfoundland Started Driving on the Right

Part Two: Don't Tell the Newfoundlanders

Greg Malone is a Newfoundland legend.

As a member of the Wonderful Grand Band and CODCO, Malone became a fixture in living rooms not only across Newfoundland and Labrador, but across the country. He served-up wickedly funny satire and his celebrity impersonations (ranging from Queen Elizabeth II to Jean Chrétien to Barbara Frum) remain legendary.

Malone’s talents go well beyond television; he’s appeared in films (including The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood, HeyDay! Rare Birds,) directed a docudrama on suffragists in Newfoundland and championed important political causes.

Malone has written two books — a memoir titled You Better Watch Out and piece of historical non-fiction titled Don't Tell the Newfoundlanders.

Don't Tell the Newfoundlanders shares the untold story of Newfoundland and Labrador's entry into Confederation with Canada. Based on official documents and supported with personal interviews, Malone paints a dramatic scene of per-confederation Newfoundland filled with intriguing characters vying for control of the islands resources. Malone’s fresh perspective casts new light on an often misunderstood chapter of Newfoundland and Labrador’s history.

The book forms the basis of a new six-part docu-series set to premiere on Bell’s FibeTV.

On this episode of the podcast Malone discusses his work and the journey from CODCO to Don’t Tell The Newfoundlanders

Part Three: Monstrous Things

As per usual, the episode ends with Monstrous Things — a short segment that recounts sea monster sightings that were reported in the mainstream media.

This edition takes us off Cape Freels where, in 1953 an enormous sea monster was seen by fisherman near Cabot Islands.

Platforms

You can listen to the episode here or on your favourite platform.

Credits, Sources & Further Reading:

https://www.productofnewfoundland.ca/podcast/confederation-codco-greg-malone

When nights grow long and familiar paths suddenly lead you astray; when fog shrouds the coast in deathly gloom and strange lights flicker in empty bogs, that’s the time when ghosts and ghouls explore this new found land.

Welcome to part three of the Strange Truths & Tall Tales Halloween Special.

The Restless Corpse of La Poile

This episode features an old story concerning a corpse in La Poile that seemed to have trouble realizing it was dead. It’s a strange that makes my blood run cold… and warms my heart. It’s based on a story written by ‘R’ and published in the Public Ledger newspaper in 1831.

Nancy Coyle & The Corpse

After La Poile, I’ll move onto St. John’s and the story of Nancy Coyle — a woman who spent her life with the dead and, perhaps, her death with the living.

Coyle provided mortuary care in St. John’s in the 1800s, and was rumoured to have resurrected the dead. While she appears to have been a real, historical figure, she is more famous these days as a ghost story.

Nancy Coyle is rumored to haunt the graveyards of old St. John’s.

Credits, Sources & Further Reading

Halloween is getting closer and Newfoundland has no shortage of seasonally appropriate stories.

This instalment features an old folktale set near St. Bride’s, NL. It concerns a strange black Stag seen on the roadside and a series of unexplained deaths that plagues a family soon afterward.

Continuing on with the theme, I share some legends of other ghostly creatures from Newfoundland, starting with the headless ghost dog of Elliston.

You can the background info and sources on the episode page at productofnewfoundland.ca

It’s October and the nights are getting noticeably longer. As darkness takes a hold. I’ve decided to embrace the ‘spooky season’ for some short Halloween episodes drawn fromNewfoundland history and folklore.

This instalment is a true story from the small town of Elliston (once known as Bird Island Cove).

It’s the story of an unwelcome visitor who turned up some 200 years ago.

Get the full story (and sources) at Night of the Thunder Growl on productofnewfoundland.ca

Part One: Mildred Baxter

Legend has it that folk-hero Mildred Baxter came to Harbour Breton in the mid-1840s to settle a score with her cheating fiance.

In order to make the trip from her home in England, she adopted a secret identity. She disguised herself as a man and took up life in Harbour Breton alongside her fiance and his new bride.

It’s a fascinating tale of love, lies and revenge that stretches the limits of credibility.

Read: ⁠The Love and Lies of Mildred Baxter and Paul Langstone⁠

Part Two: Rosemary Lawton Talks Jackets and Trousers

Rosemary Lawton is an award-winning singer-songwriter with a keen interest in Newfoundland music. She is a classically trained violinist, educator and writer. She has recorded traditional Newfoundland music (Fierce and Untamed), original compositions (Canvas) and published the book, Resilience: A Collection of Empowering Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador Women.

Rosemary joins me on Strange Truths and Tall Tales to discuss Mildred Taylor, the tradition of ‘Jacket and Trouser’ songs, and her own songwriting.

Part Three: Kyle Callahan’s Monsters

Kyle Callahan is a visual artist from Mount Pearl, NL. He’s sometimes called ‘The Godzilla Guy’ owing to his popular artwork featuring classic movie monsters (like Godzilla) exploring Newfoundland. His artwork has recently been featured in the new Engen publication The Fairies of Foggy Island.

Kyle discusses his work and explains how Godzilla discovered St. John’s harbour.

Part Four: Monstrous Things

The season, I’ve been capping off each episode with a segment I call Monstrous Things. It features tales of a Newfoundland sea monster sightings reported in the mainstream media.

This edition takes us back to 1888 on Newfoundland’s Grand Banks, when an enormous sea monster was seen by fisherman aboard the Schooner Augusta. The sighting was described in the Evening Telegram on August 25th, 1888.

Credits, Sources & Further Reading

https://www.productofnewfoundland.ca/podcast/mildred-baxter

Part One: Mummers & Murder

Newfoundland has a lot of interesting traditions but few are as celebrated as mummering.

Mummering is a Christmas tradition that dates back hundreds of years. It came to Newfoundland from England and Ireland with the first settlers. In it’s best known form, it involves costumed people visiting house-to-house during the 12 days of Christmas.  Once invited inside, the host tries to guess the mummer's identity. Refreshments are served and fun is had by all.

This sort of mummering is entertainment, but it wasn’t always fun for everyone. For some people, especially children, mummers were scary. They looked odd and behaved strangely. Mostly, the fear was unwaranted.

In the 1800s mummering was altogether different. Mummers used to celebrate outdoors and could be found roaming the streets. There are many instances of mummers taking advantage of their anonymity to settle scores.

In one instance, there was a murder.

In the 1800s mummering was altogether different. Mummers used to celebrate outdoors and could be found roaming the streets. There are many instances of mummers taking advantage of their anonymity to settle scores.

In one instance, there was a murder.

Read: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Mummers, Murder and Mayhem⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Part Two: Twas The Night After Christmas

In this segment we take a look at the lighter side of mummering with the Newfoundland Mummer Story Twas The Night After Christmas.

It tells the story of a grandmother who is *usually* very good at guessing the identity of mummers until one fateful Boxing Day night when she meets her match.

Read the Twas The Night After Christmas

Part Three: A Chat With Carolina East

Carolina East has made a name for herself across the country, not only as as an impressive singer but as talented songwriter. She’s making music inspired by an eclectic tapestry of influences; from soul, to country, to pop.

She competed in the Sirius XM Top of the Country competition as one of eight semi-finalists. In July 2021, Carolina released a full-length album Soaked in Whisky. It’s a polished collection of songs about love, happiness, and loss.

Her songs are honest, vulnerable, and. always relatable.

Carolina joined me to talk about making music, her Christmas album Home for the Holidays, and how covering Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ changed her life.

We also talked about her upcoming work with producer Russell Broom (well known for his work with Jann Arden).

Message Carolina to get your copy of her Christmas album Home For The Holidays.

Part Four: Monstrous Things

The season, I’ve been capping off each episode with a segment I call Monstrous Things. It features tales of a Newfoundland sea monster sightings reported in the mainstream media.

This episode offers the story of a ‘monster’ seen in the Codroy Valley area around Christmas, 1951. The sighting was described in the January 5th, 1952 edition of the Evening Telegram under the headline “Report Monster Destroying Nets.”

What do you think it was?

Visit: productofnewfoundland.ca

Episode Guide for Credits, Further Reading and Links:

Mummers and Music fest. Carolina East

Part One: What is Tibb’s Eve?

For me, and a lot of other Newfoundlanders, the 23rd of December is Tibb’s Eve. It is Christmas Eve Eve and the unofficial start of the holiday season.

For some people, Tibb’s Eve has become synonymous with a good time, full of partying and alcohol. The connection with drinking is so strong that, for some people the day is known as Tipsy (Tip’s) Eve.

In this episode we did into it a little and chat about Tibb’s Eve customs. To help me out, The Duds (Melanie O’Brien and Philip Goodridge) discuss their connection to the day and what lead them to record their holiday track ‘Before the Night (Tibb’s Eve’).

Part Two: Newfoundland Christmas Slush

I’ve celebrated 40+ Christmases in Newfoundland and, until surprisingly recently, I had no idea ‘Newfoundland Christmas slush’ — a fruity, frozen cocktail — was a thing.

It is though. For a lot of Newfoundlanders the holiday season would not be complete without this batch-made cocktail.

I reached out to food blogger/instagrammer Jeremy Whey (aka @stuffthatinyourgob) to discuss his history with Christmas slush. He shares his recipe and variations he’s tried. From there were drifted to dark/light Christmas cake, moose stew, salt cod and other Newfoundland food traditions.

You can follow Jeremy on Instagram at @stuffthatinyourgob.

Here’s his slush recipe, as shared in the episode:

Jeremy’s Newfoundland Christmas Slush

1 cup sugar

6 cups water

2 cans of frozen concentrated orange juice

2 cans of frozen concentrated lemonade

1 large can pineapple juice

1 flask of vodka

Boil the water, stir in the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and freeze. To serve, scoop slush into a glass and top with as much 7-Up or Ginger Ale as you’d like.

You can find some recipes for alternate versions of Christmas slush here.

Jeremy and I confessed that some of our Christmas baking efforts have been less-than-successful. We used the word ‘dunch.’ It occurs to me that non-NL listeners may be less familiar with that word. Here’s a link to the definition in the Dictionary of Newfoundland English.

And here’s the recipe I mentioned for my mother’s dark Christmas fruitcake. I’ve had great success with this one — nothing dunch about it.

Check out the blog post to see, as ‘the murderous mummer’.

Part Three: Monstrous Things

Normally ‘Monstrous Things’ features tales of Newfoundland sea monsters that have been reported in the mainstream media. This episode, is taking a different tack and veering into the realm of full-on legend — with tales of boo-baggers, boo-darbies and a strange Christmas creature called Rockyfoot.

What do they have in common?

Like Krampus and Santa Claus, they’ve all been used to encourage good behaviour in children.

Read more here: Rockyfoot: Newfoundland’s Krampus