Tomorrow (Tuesday, February 20th) is Mardi Gras. The parades and debauchery began weeks ago and the season comes to a climax on Mardi Gras Day.Everyone should experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans at least once in their lives. I grew up there so I’ve enjoyed or regretted the annual celebration more than twenty times, both as a child and as an adult.
The festivities run the range from G-rated to X-rated, depending on what part of New Orleans you visit. As a kid, my parents, my sister and I would camp out at Dad’s office a few blocks from St. Charles Avenue, a key parade route early in the day. In that part of town, there were many families and not too many drunks. In college, I experienced Mardi Gras day on Canal Street, near Bourbon Street, near the end of the parade routes and the end of the day. Many drunks!
Except for the costumes and the drunks, no two Mardi Gras days are alike. The date of the celebration can be as early as early February (it’s Feb. 5 next year) and as late as late March. Weather can be cold or hot, dry or wet. The main activities are in New Orleans city but there are many outstanding suburban Mardi Gras parades too (at least there were before Katrina – I’m not sure about the suburban activity now).
I have two suggestions if you want to get a feeling for Mardi Gras without actually visiting. First, check out this very thorough website.
Second, listen to the music. The songs and artists whose work represents the true New Orleans sound are too numerous to mention here, but here is a small sampling:
Mardi Gras Mambo – The Hawketts
It’s Carnival Time – Al Johnson
Iko Iko – The Dixie Cups
Hey Pocky Way – The Meters
My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now – Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Walking To New Orleans – Fats Domino
Ain’t Got No Home – Clarence Frogman Henry
Right Place Wrong Time – Dr. John
When The Saints Go Marching In – Preservation Hall Jazz Band (and others)
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans – Louis
Armstrong
A signature phrase that sums up the feeling of New Orleans in general and Mardi Gras specifically is “laissez les bons temps roulez!” That’s pronounced something like LAY-zay-lay BAWN tawmp roo-LAY.
In English: “Let the good times roll!”
4 comments:
it sure does sound like fun...i have never experienced it myself. let's go!
great idea :)
I regret turning down an opportunity to go to Mardi Gras... it was along the lines of three guy friends coming up to me and saying, "Hey, Velvet! We decided about a half-hour ago to drive to New Orleans tonight. Wanna come with us?" Note, I lived in Ohio at the time. I didn't take them seriously, but turns out they went and had a good time. My loss!
I would still love to see Mardi Gras, but perhaps would like to attend the Jazz and Heritage Festival even more. Maybe I'll do both some day. ;)
-velvet
Truthfully, I like Jazzfest a lot more than Mardi Gras but I haven't been to it for 20 years. There is a chance I'll go this year - trying to schedule a driving trip to deliver some stuff to my sister so it happens during the first week of Jazzfest.
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