Mardi Gras Indians - A Piece of New Orleans Culture

Every community has it's own unique flavor.  The way people dress, the way they talk and the food they eat, along with the town's history and demographic make-up contribute to the flavor of a community like the ingredients of a stew, or since I'm in New Orleans, like the ingredients of a jambalaya.  Jack and I have enjoyed exploring the neighborhoods, restaurants and music of New Orleans during our stay here, getting a taste of the things that set New Orleans apart while we learn about the culture of this most unusual city. 

One of the most unique things we did during our stay here was to observe the Mardi Gras Indians "Super Sunday" Parade on March 18th.  The Mardi Gras Indians are primarily a tradition of the African American community of the inner city of New Orleans.  While typical Mardi Gras organizations form a "krewe" historically, slavery and racism excluded minorities from participating in typical parades and the black neighborhoods of New Orleans developed their own traditions of celebrating Mardi Gras.  They called their krewes or gangs "tribes" in honor of the Native Americans who helped the African Americans break away from slavery. 



In the past, on Mardi Gras, Indian tribes met to settle scores, often violently.  Due to the general chaos surrounding Mardi Gras and the fact that everyone was masked, police were able to do very little to stem the violence.  As times changed and traditions evolved, "masking" as an Indian has come to mean designing and creating a new costume to wear every year.  

The costumes are hand-made using feathers, sequins and rhinestones.  Each Indian traditionally does his own beadwork and the costume designs are kept secret until Mardi Gras.  Costumes are so elaborate and expensive that no one wants to destroy all of their hard work by fighting or causing trouble so the parades are usually non-violent. 

The Spy Boy leads the procession of the Big Chief of each tribe and signals back to the Flag Boy when another tribe is approaching by using chants, songs or hand gestures.  The Flag Boy carries a large decorated staff which he uses to carry the message to the Big Chief.  The chief is followed by other tribe members or "Second-Liners".  When the two tribes meet, the Big Chiefs greet each other by displaying their plumage and using chants or songs.  The song "Iko Iko" used in the movie Rainman is a traditional chant and is often sung when tribes meet.  During a parade it is a high compliment to tell a Mardi Gras Indian that he is pretty, probably the only time when telling a man that he is "pretty" is an acceptable accolade.  

Jack and I really enjoyed observing the parade and taking pictures of the fabulous costumes.  The people masking were proud of their beautiful costumes and happy to explain their traditions.  The Spy Boy pictured below with me told us that he is an attorney in his everyday life but that his passion is masking and keeping the traditions alive.





Jack and I especially enjoyed seeing the young girls and boys in their intricate costumes marching with their families.  We hope to see more of the Mardi Gras Indians next week-end at the Jazz and Heritage Fest.

 

St. Patrick's Day - NOLA Style

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Today was a beautiful sunny day in New Orleans.  Jack and I got moving early this morning so that we could go for a run in Audubon Park before heading back to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade.  We took the bus up to the Park and the Trolley back home which costs $1.25 each way.  We didn't want to move our car because we were told that traffic and parking would get crazy this afternoon as people poured into the area for the St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Public transportation was easy and convenient but I've got to learn to relax and WAIT for it to show up.  Things seem to run at a little more casual pace in the South and I find myself getting impatient. I'm not sure why.   

Audubon Park is beautiful and we had really enjoyed our run there.  Jack and I are so grateful that we are healthy enough to get out and run, especially considering that Jack could barely walk last year at this time.  It was a wonderful day to get outside; sunny and breezy and not too humid.  Audubon Park has century old oak trees which offer a lot of shade, lots of open green space, a lagoon, a zoo and stables.  We like the 1.8 mile paved path for running and biking that goes around the park.  It's right in town, surrounded by beautiful homes and near to Loyola and Tulane Universities. 



After our run we headed home to eat lunch and head over to the parade.  You couldn't ask for better weather to enjoy the St. Patrick's Day Parade.  Jack and I staked out a good spot on Louisiana Avenue which is a few blocks from where we are staying. We brought Coco with us but ended up bringing her back home mid-way through the parade.  As usual, she was a hit with everyone sitting around us but the noise got to be too much for her. While we only brought over lawn chairs and a few drinks, many people arrived early with tables, coolers, portable tents and lots of food.  

People really seem to get into the spirit of the parade and lots of people were in costume which was fun and added to the party atmosphere. 



There is a strong Irish presence in New Orleans which was a surprise to me.  Of course, on St. Patrick's Day everyone is Irish or pretends they are for a little while!  Jack and I were surprised that to find that the parade was primarily made up of walking groups from Irish bars and Irish organizations along with parade floats. 

 In addition to throwing LOTS of beads, marchers in this parade have a tradition of carrying styrofoam sticks with silk flowers stuck in them so that they look like floral parasols.  Women on the parade route are then given a flower in exchange for a kiss on the cheek.  





Along with beads and flowers, groups gave out items like garters, stuffed animals, plastic cups and underwear. 



The most unusual things we saw thrown from the floats were heads of cabbage and little packets of carrots for soup.  The streets were littered with beads, trash and vegetable bits.  

The floats were bright and colorful and played lots of fun, upbeat music. We enjoyed the music but were disappointed that there was very little Irish music played in the parade.  We were hoping for lots of bagpipes!  In fact, there was only one band in the parade.  The kids did a great job but looked like they were worn out by the time they reached our spot on the parade route.  Jack and I enjoyed all of the floats and terrific people watching. 

Neither one of us has been to Mardi Gras but if today is any indication, it must be a LOT of fun.  I think that a person would really have to build up to it.  How do people get the energy?  I'm not sure that I'm up for the challenge.  It was great to go to the parade and celebrate but then it was great to come back to our little place and enjoy the quiet.  Jack and I had a great time sharing in a New Orleans tradition and would recommend the parade for anyone. Despite the huge

huge amounts of alcohol being consumed (you can walk around with open alcohol here) it's very family friendly.  Lots of multi-generational groups were there along with the younger generation of partiers and everyone got along beautifully.  Just remember to keep your head up if you are standing in the front or you might get conked on the head by a cabbage! 



Much To Be Thankful For

Happy Thanksgiving to All of our Friends and Loved Ones!  We hope that your day was filled with family, food and fun and that the sun is shining wherever you are today.  

It was a beautiful day yesterday in New York City which made it perfect for viewing the 85th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  The parade route passed 1/2 block from our apartment - how lucky is that?  We didn't have to get up early and fight the crowds we just walked out the door at about 9:00 a.m and walked down to the corner.  The sidewalks were super crowded but we were able to see the parade pretty clearly, especially the giant balloons and the floats.  Jack was able to take some great pictures of the parade, especially when you consider that these shots were taken while holding the camera over his head!

Each balloon has scores of handlers to keep it under control as it travels down the street.  I'm not sure how they manage it on cold, blustery days because it looked like they were having a tough time yesterday which was relatively mild. The Buzz Lightyear balloon got hung up briefly while we were watching but the balloon handlers managed to disengage him from the tree branches and keep the parade moving.

Jack and I particularly liked watching all of the marching bands pass by.  The kids seemed so excited to be a part of the Macy's Day Parade.  You just know how much hard work and how much fundraising went into making such a trip possible.

 

After the parade, Jack and I grabbed our contribution to this year's Thanksgiving feast which was wine and a quinoa and butternut squash stuffing.  Jack and I feel so blessed to have celebrated Thanksgiving with some of our children.  We headed off to our daughter Emily and Grant's house to spend the day with them and our daughter Kate and her husband Ben. Jack and I, along with Kate and Ben had a completely vegetarian Thanksgiving and we didn't miss the turkey at all. Emily and Grant had pork chops and they seemed pretty pleased with the feast as well.  My highlight of the meal was the roasted brussels sprouts made by Emily and the homemade apple pie made by Kate. We finished off the evening by watching a family favorite movie, A Hard Day's Night.  

This morning I'm feeling a little twitchy to get out and take advantage of all of the Black Friday deals but I'm holding off.  I can only imagine how crazy the stores are here.  Instead, we took Coco for a walk in Central Park (it's another beautiful day here) and we're heading back to Brooklyn to eat leftovers, set up the Christmas tree and hopefully catch The Muppet Movie.  Sounds like a perfect day - hope that your day is wonderful, too!