Mardi Gras And America's Creole Soul

T'S MARDI GRAS!!!!! Yes, New Orleans' famous Carnival season is this years' never-ending party and you're invited. Mardi Gras, famous for its colorful and cultural parades, is an experience you can't go any longer w/out! The Streets are packed with both tourists and Native Louisianans as they celebrate Mardi Gras in full color and sound. . The Huge Parades come flashing down the street we fresh music, an explosion of lights, and spectacular floats. Everyone is having a great time, enjoying the festivities of the parade. So you're new to Mardi Gras, but don't want to act like it? Here in brief, are the basic facts about Americas' greatest party.

The Feast of All Saints, written by Anne Rice: A historical fiction based story about the New Orleans society of free men of color (Gens de couleur libres), before the civil war living within the laws of the white men that surround them. Between 1810 and the Civil War, there lived in New Orleans a strange, Varying mixtures of the black race and French ethnics (half breeds, quadroons, and octoroons, mostly), they had a special place--or non-place--in Louisiana society. Even before the civil war, New Orleans has been a mixture of cultures and ethnics. They could own property (including slaves), but they could not vote; they had

The blazing hot sun beamed down on my skin as the song “Mardi Gras Mambo,” a traditional song almost everyone in Louisiana has heard once before replayed continuously and the shouts, “Throw me some beads mister,” overwhelmed me. For years, I had waited to finally be a part of this, no longer was I an average citizen at the corner of Capitol Street, hoping to be in knowledge. I was a part of something grand, Mardi Gras. This was the first time I was getting to ride on the float with my older cousins and other various family members. I never realized how much work was put in to ensure success by the end of the night. I remeber how I stayed awake the night before, restlessly pacing across the floor. It was to the point that I begin making a checklist, as I scuffled my feet across the house, making sure that everything was in place.

The one significant message that I would like to point out from this essay is “I believe the soul of this place cannot be easily destroyed by wind and rain. I believe the music here will live and people will continue to dance. I believe in “Darlin’” and “Baby.” I believe in “Where ‘yat’?” and “Makin’ groceries.” I believe in neighborhoods where Mardi Gras Indians sew beaded costumes, kids practice trumpet in the street, and recipes for okra can provide conversation for an entire afternoon.” (Miller, M. 2013) To me, this essay captures the quality of being worthy of attention. It conveys the author's feelings towards New Orleans and in not so many words why he chose to move back. To me, these poignantly fifteen words said drove the point home,

The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to medieval Europe, passing through Rome and Venice in the 17th and 18th centuries to the French House of the Bourbons. From here, the traditional revelry of "Boeuf Gras," or fatted calf, followed France to her colonies.

Mardi Gras falls on a Tuesday (Fat Tuesday). For an entire month before the Catholic holiday of Ash Wednesday, the entire state of Louisiana is in carnival mode, and there is no mistaking when this special time of the year begins in New Orleans. During carnival, the faint but rhythmic sound of marching bands in the distance seems to be almost constant. Parades both big and small fill the streets almost every day. Walk by any local bakery and you’re almost guaranteed to catch a cinnamon whiff of the traditional King Cakes that true NOLA residents only eat during carnival. Homes and other buildings all around the city are decked out in purple, yellow, and green, and the

Many White Men in New Orleans "exploited black women sexually with impunity. This created a mix-raced New Orleans known as Creoles, which a " persons of African and European descent born in Americas". They had social and economic priviledges that was refused to slaves. The Creole community in New Orleans immersed themselves in European values.

If you’ve never been experienced Mardi Gras, your perception of this event may be far from correct. Although some cliché ideals will always remain the same; lots of drinking, delicious food, and none the less, bead throwing. As mentioned earlier, it was a tradition in the parades for the King Rex to bestow “throws” among the people in the crowd which is similar to the acts of today. It is common to see people getting rewarded with beads for flashing some skin. But, even in the olden days, the raunchy mischief is typically only found on Bourbon Street in the French Quarters. It is also common to see many people dressed in festive costumes, just as in the past. In the 1850’s this was practiced as well, beads were made out of glass which was inexpensive and were tossed into the crowds. But, Mardi Gras is not only the promiscuous party scene most of us see on the television, there are many activities for the family to enjoy. During the day, the family can enjoy a wide range of concerts and day festivals. There is also numerous museums, tours, restaurants, and shopping to

Chewbacchus, a Star Wars-themed walking parade in the French Quarter, is beloved for its creative costumes and handmade throws. The canine parade Barkus is a family favorite, with plenty of costumed pups to pet. 'Tit Rex is a micro-parade, with elaborately-decorated shoebox-sized floats that are wheeled through the Bywater and Marigny neighborhoods.You may know that Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" and "Laissez les bons temps rouler" is a Cajun French phrase that translates to "Let the good times roll!" But here are a few fun facts about Mardi Gras that you may not

Storytelling in New Orleans cannot be forced into a single definition. It is a compilation of a myriad of cultural artifacts, all of which incorporate storytelling. The history of storytelling in New Orleans can be found in the early settlers of the region, the infamous legends and folklore that surround the city itself, and the people who sought out the city as a muse for their stories, such as William Faulkner. The living culture of telling stories continues in today’s world through food, celebrations like Mardi Gras, and storytelling events such as Bring Your Own. Unfortunately, the story of New Orleans is currently being pigeonholed into this one singular account of what New Orleans is about. With all of these various cultural

Parade is a cultural and social visualization that each community or town celebrate in honor to their social class and accomplishment. It is a fun activity that shows visual communication between the participants and the audience. The symbol that the parade has carried is to spread their culture at the same time invites people to come to generate more town income. The celebration is one way to explain how people give support and socialize in the society. One example of this parade is the Mardi Gras in Lafayette, Louisiana, every year they celebrate in honor for their cultural distinctiveness and abundant blessing they receive. It is also a tourist attraction in a way that Louisiana invites more tourists to come and participate in the parade.

Customs originate from hearths. Folk customs have unknown origins and may have multiple hearths, while popular customs originate in more developed countries for the recreational leisure. Folk music serves the purpose of storytelling. Popular music is written to be sold. While some forms of popular music contain references to local places or events, the purpose of the music is to appeal to the world and a larger audience. Popular culture diffuses hierarchically through rapid communication from electronic devices and transportation networks. Folk culture diffuses through relocation diffusion. Soccer is a folk tradition that was popularized and then globalized. The distribution of sports depends on the fans willing to pay for events.

Fortunately, six New Orleanains who were former members of the Cowbellions, a group that presented New Years Eve parades in Mobile, AL, saved the New Orleans Mardi Gras by forming the Comus organization in 1857. The men beautified the celebration and proved that it could be enjoyed in a safe manner. Comus coined the word “Krewe” and established several Mardi Gras traditions by forming a secret

Mardi Gras is New Orleans' premiere party season! It officially begins at Twelfth Night, which occurs 12 days after Christmas on January 6th and culminates in Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday). This last day of celebration marks the end of the Mardi Gras Carnival season and the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras day falls on a different day each year, but is always 46 days before Easter. This year it is February 17th with Mardi Gras 2015 parades occurring February 6-17th. The most popular time to come is the extended weekend before Fat Tuesday. The best parades such as Endymion, Bacchus, Zulu, Rex occur during this time period as

The phrase "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" which means "let the good times roll" in French, is one of the most popular sayings during Mardi Gras. This holiday is celebrated differently all across Louisiana. There are a variety of celebrations including parades and balls. Many historians believe that the first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when the French explorers Iberville and Bienville landed in what is now Louisiana, just south of the holiday’s future epicenter: New Orleans. They held a small celebration and dubbed the spot Point du Mardi Gras. In the decades that followed, New Orleans and other French settlements began marking the holiday with street parties, masked balls and lavish dinners. When the Spanish took control of New Orleans, however, they abolished these rowdy rituals, and the bans remained in force until Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812.