Whenever I think of New Orleans I typically think of two things; Hurricane Katrina and Mardi Gras. Well little did I know that Mardi Gras is actually a statewide celebration. Contrary to popular outside belief, it is not isolated to the New Orleans area and Shreveport has quite a Mardi Gras celebration of its own. My very limited knowledge of this holiday has expanded somewhat, but I think it will take me a few more years of living here to actually get a grasp on it. My first Mardi Gras celebration was in the form of a parade that we had at our school. My job was to pick a king and queen from my class to throw out beads and candy. In addition there would be some Dutch and Duchesses from the local “krewes” that were coming to participate. For anyone who has worked in the school system, you can imagine the excitement my 20 five-year-olds had when they began having candy and beads thrown at them. My hearing was permanently damaged in the process. I was then invited by some of my co-workers to come to their house which was on the “Krewe of Centaur” parade route. From this experience as well as other experiences Ryan and I had during the Mardi Gras season I have compiled a list of things we learned.
1. Mardi Gras is a season. It is not a day or simply one parade. It is various parades, parties, and festivities.
2. King Cakes are a local specialty. There are many types. Be selective with your fillings and they are very good heated.
3. Beads can be hazardous to your health. They especially hurt when they hit your pinkie finger or lip.
4. 4 million beads were thrown out in the one parade that we attended.
5. Catching beads is an art. It helps to make eye contact with the thrower. If they point to you then you know you are in for a special treat!
6. We don’t live in New Orleans but people do dance on their cars waiting for the parade to come by.
7. In order to get the full parade experience, tailgating begins at 8 am for a 8 pm parade.
8. This is no 20 min parade. Plan on 2 hours plus. The 2 hours does not include pre-parade festivities. This is simply the amount of time that the floats go by.
9. Mardi Gras plus Saints at the Super bowl the next day = extra excitement in the crowd
10. Throw me something mister! Code word for give me the goods off that float! And yes I did wave my hands and shout it out and was rewarded with a variety of goodies.
1. Mardi Gras is a season. It is not a day or simply one parade. It is various parades, parties, and festivities.
2. King Cakes are a local specialty. There are many types. Be selective with your fillings and they are very good heated.
3. Beads can be hazardous to your health. They especially hurt when they hit your pinkie finger or lip.
4. 4 million beads were thrown out in the one parade that we attended.
5. Catching beads is an art. It helps to make eye contact with the thrower. If they point to you then you know you are in for a special treat!
6. We don’t live in New Orleans but people do dance on their cars waiting for the parade to come by.
7. In order to get the full parade experience, tailgating begins at 8 am for a 8 pm parade.
8. This is no 20 min parade. Plan on 2 hours plus. The 2 hours does not include pre-parade festivities. This is simply the amount of time that the floats go by.
9. Mardi Gras plus Saints at the Super bowl the next day = extra excitement in the crowd
10. Throw me something mister! Code word for give me the goods off that float! And yes I did wave my hands and shout it out and was rewarded with a variety of goodies.
Emily, This just made me laugh. Sometimes I think you guys live on a different planet!
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