17-669: " Big Beach " can refer to: Big Beach, Nova Scotia , a city in Canada Big Beach, a beach in Makena State Park in Hawaii Big Beach (company) , an American film production company See also [ edit ] Big Beach Sports Big Beach Boutique II Playa Grande (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
34-682: A local Feis an Eilein [1] (Festival of the Island) and Highland Village Museum [2] , a Provincial Nova Scotia Living Museum in nearby Iona . The Gaelic language is now being taught to children attending the Rankin School of the Narrows . The Big Beach School is now a private residence and was replaced by the now closed grade school in Christmas Island . The Canadian National Railway came through Central Cape Breton and Big Beach in
51-484: A nineteenth-century deed names the church's trustees as its rightful owner. A schoolhouse was in place in Christmas Island by 1875, and in 1918–1919 a new school building was completed. The Post Office was moved from a neighbouring community to Christmas Island for January 1856. The post office of Christmas Island gets thousands of postcards and packages a day—up a thousand on the busiest days—during
68-756: Is a community located on the north side of the Boisdale Hills on the east side of the Great Bras D'Or Lake on Provincial Route 223 , which runs from Leitches Creek to Little Narrows , through Central Cape Breton Island in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia . Located on the " Bras D'Or Lakes Scenic Drive " it is part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Central Cape Breton Island. At
85-516: Is a Canadian community of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality on Cape Breton Island , Nova Scotia . It has a post office, a firehall and a very small population. It has a beach with access to the Bras d'Or Lake . A small island just off shore, also named Christmas Island, encloses Christmas Island Pond, a pond that runs into the lake. The original inhabitants of the land, the Miꞌkmaq people, called
102-420: Is more ornate, including a wreath laden with decorations and a bow. To have Christmas Cards or packages stamped with the Christmas Island postmark, address and place the correct postage on the actual greeting card envelope, insert the card or cards into a large envelope and send it to Christmas Island Post Office, 8499 Grand Narrows Highway, Christmas Island, N.S., B1T 1A0. The Christmas Island fire hall holds
119-516: Is still heavily influenced by Catholicism and the local priest was the law. Gaelic was the first language of the community until the middle of the 20th century. A campaign of violence and intimidation by the provincial school board led to the near extermination of Gaelic culture and language in Cape Breton. However, there has been a resurgence of the Gaelic language and culture promulgated through
136-542: The Fèis An Eilein every summer, a Gaelic festival featuring Gaelic music, dancing and culture. It is held in August and includes such things as a milling frolic, square dance, bonfire, bag piping, step dance, fiddle and piano lessons. As well there is instruction in Gaelic language, folklore and music. Gaelic is still spoken by a few elderly residents, as many Highland Scots emigrated to Christmas Island during
153-523: The area Abadakwichéch , which means "the small reserved portion." Christmas Island received its present name from a Mi'kmaw leader, said to have been a chief named "Noel", which translates from the French as "Christmas", who died and was buried on the island opposite the beach. The first European settlers in the area arrived in 1802–1804. Angus McNeil, a native of Barra , in Scotland ’s Outer Hebrides
170-805: The land grants were approximately 100 acres (0.40 km ), and many properties still run between the Crown Land at the top of the Boisdale Hills to the "front" on the Great Bras D'Or Lake. The area was mostly subsistence farming and there is still very little employment available in the area. However, the area is popular for summer residents and there has been a resurgence of building recently. 46°0′24.26″N 60°40′49.47″W / 46.0067389°N 60.6804083°W / 46.0067389; -60.6804083 ( Big Beach, Nova Scotia ) Christmas Island, Nova Scotia Christmas Island , Nova Scotia ( Scottish Gaelic : Eilean na Nollaig )
187-514: The latter part of the 19th century, bringing a connection to the rest of North America . The railroad is still in operation, run by the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway . "Section Men" were hired to upkeep sections of the track. It was a coveted job. Many men cut timber for rail ties to subsidize their income. There was a rail spur to the beach at one time when a company from Belgium gathered sand to make porcelain china. Most of
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#1732801828494204-505: The peak holiday timeframe. These come from around the world during Christmas time so they can be sent on to their destinations with the unique Christmas Island postmark. Greeting cards and packages come from as far as Hong Kong, Seoul, Paris, Mexico City, Sydney, Tahiti and various points across Canada and the United States from collectors and holiday enthusiasts to be franked with the official postmark of Christmas Island. Each year
221-451: The post office mails out from 12,000 and 14,000 Christmas cards hand-stamped with the special postmark. The postmark dates back to 1994 when MacKinnon's predecessor, Margaret Rose MacNeil, asked Canada Post to create a postmark named after Christmas Island. Canada Post agreed to the request, creating a postmark with a simple motif with three conifers. It was one of the first pictorial postmarks that Canada Post created. The current postmark
238-644: The time comprising the three small communities of Big Beach, Glasgow, and Big Brook, Big Beach was populated during the first half of the 19th century by Scots from the Outer Hebrides islands, specifically the Isle of Barra , as well as Benbecula and other islands in that chain, which are located off the Atlantic coast of Scotland . Today, the descendants of these Roman Catholic "Barramen" still dominate Central Cape Breton Island's Gaelic culture. The area
255-573: The title Big Beach . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Beach&oldid=594259267 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Big Beach, Nova Scotia Big Beach (Tràigh Mhòr in Gaelic , pronounced "try vohr")
272-626: Was one of the first. He was soon followed by other MacNeils from Scotland, attracted by reports of the good agricultural farmland that was available, as well as the nearby fish stocks in the Bras d’Or Lake. By June, 1812, Donald, James, Alexander, Roderick, and John MacNeil were living at Goose Pond, and Hector and John MacDougall, and Donald McNeil were at Christmas Island. Other early settlers were John McKenzie, Hugh Gillis, and Archibald McDougall. John McDonald came from South Uist in 1822 and settled at Rear Christmas Island. A log Roman Catholic Chapel
289-640: Was under construction by 1814, and completed in 1815. A new church was built in 1823–1824. The new St. Barra Roman Catholic church was consecrated on 22 July 1883, and a League of the Cross Hall was completed in October 1908. In 2015 the Bishop of Antigonish ordered the church closed because of a declining congregation. However, a few parishioners continue to hold services in the church. The Diocese considers them to be trespassers. The parishioners maintain that
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