Mardi Gras New Orleans March 3 - 8 2011

Here we are lucky enough to be finding ourselves in The Big Easy during their most festive season of the year....Mardi Gras.



So many old buildings most of them remain the same as they were originally...business' on the main floor and residences on the second floor.

Many beautifully decorated homes as well all celebrating Mardi Gras.

The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced back to Medieval Europe but was brought to Louisiana by a French-Canadian explorer, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieru de Bienville who landed in 1699 and in 1702 the settlement of Pointe due Mardi Gras which is now called Mobile celebrated its first Mardi Gras.


Mardi Gras was and still is it's own season with weeks of celebrating with balls, parades, dressing in costume and partying.

The motto for Mardi Gras is "Bon temps Roule!" which means "Let the Good Times Roll!" And roll they do until midnight on Fat Tuesday when the New Orleans Police Department marches through the streets of the French Quarter and pushes the crowd ahead of them....time to go home the party's over.
The first account of Mardi Gras "throws" (beads etc.) being thrown from floats or balconies is in 1871 and may be linked to a rural tradition still practiced in rural Acadian Cajun Country and is called the Mardi Gras Courier Run. As the Courier and his entourage rides from house to house they engage in a rowdy celebration. Once the Courier obtains permission to enter a private property the group will often charge toward the house where the group sing, dance and beg until the owner offers them an ingredient for a gumbo. Often the owner will throw a live chicken into the air and the group will scramble to catch it.

We saw many costumes.
Some simple.
Some very elaborate.Some slightly X-rated but mostly just folks having a great time at the Greatest Free Show on Earth.


Now where else would you see The Tooth Fairy, The Easter Bunny and Santa all in the same place.

There were lots of parades, beads and other "throws" and lots of good company. "Bon temps Roule!"



We enjoyed eating King Cake which is a popular cinnamon-roll like cake which is iced and topped with traditional Mardi Gras colours (purple, green and gold/yellow) sprinkles. The cake has a small trinket (usually a baby sometimes said to represent Baby Jesus). The person who gets it in his or her piece of cake is declared King or Queen for the day and is usually expected to supply the next King Cake or host the next party. We also very much enjoyed the parades and merry making and just being a part of the Greatest Free Show on Earth.