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La tire Sainte-Catherine

One Nov. 25 a long time ago , sister Marguerite Bourgeoys wanted to give candy to the little ones she taught. Since her candy reserve was low, Sister Bourgeoy had to be creative. She thought she might have a little bit of molasses in her pantry.

One Nov. 25 a long time ago , sister Marguerite Bourgeoys wanted to give candy to the little ones she taught.

Since her candy reserve was low, Sister Bourgeoy had to be creative. She thought she might have a little bit of molasses in her pantry. She decided to cook it.

Much to her surprise, after the boiled molasses had cooled, it turned into a toffee like mixture that she could stretch.

She was able to make little candies for her students.

Since Nov. 25 was the celebration of La Sainte-Catherine, sister Bourgeoys called the candy La tire Sainte-Catherine, as "la tire" means "the pull" in French.

Since then, each year, we eatla tire on Nov. 25.

If you would like to celebrate La Sainte- Catherine and learn about this French tradition, or for your free sample of La tire Sainte-Catherine, please stop by École Père Mercure school, located at 1881- 99th St.