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So what is Mardi Gras anyway? |
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You can read about the history and traditions of Mardi Gras here |
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Are there certain foods eaten during Mardi Gras? |
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Kingcake is the food most associated with Mardi Gras! The one shown here is oozing with a cream cheese filling! YUM! It is from Meche's Donut King in Lafayette LA. |
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Read about kingcakes here |
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Other foods that are usually a part of Mardi Gras celebrations include red beans and rice, jambalaya, and gumbo. Many people bring small grills to the parade route and have a cookout before the parade begins. |
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At our home, the tiels had the opportunity to "share" in our delicious food. Doozer declined, but Cody dug right in! |
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Cody again, this time with his head buried in Jesse's bowl of red beans and rice! |
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Here he is enjoying jambalaya! Note the piece of rice stuck to his beak. |
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Does music play a part in the celebration? |
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Music is definitely a part of Mardi Gras! Before the parades, you hear can radios broadcasting different types of music, especially Cajun and Zydeco. At the end of the parade route, live bands can be heard at Le Festival du Mardi Gras a Lafayette.
There are some songs played especially at Mardi Gras time. These include "They All Ask for You," "Mardi Gras Mambo," and 3 songs by Professor Longhair -- "Carnival Time," "Mardi Gras in New Orleans," and "Go To the Mardi Gras." |
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What is it like before the parade gets to you? |
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The pre-parade atmosphere depends a lot on what part of the city you are in. For example, downtown is very lively! People party hard at the beginning of the route! In other places, there are a lot of kids running around and playing. Nearly everyone wears beads from previous parades, and some people enjoy alcoholic beverages.
The roads close to traffic about half an hour before the parade reaches you. Vendors licensed by the city peddle their carts of beads, hats, stink bombs, trinkets, t-shirts, candy, and other items. |
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This picture was taken Mardi Gras day shortly before the parade arrived. People crowd behind the barriers and each other.
Lafayette police officers are in the street. They patrol on foot before, during, and after the parade. This is a busy time of year for them, and they do a great job! |
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This is the top of a vendor's cart. You can see the purple, green, and gold hats he had for sale. The flags are part of the cart also. |
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What do Mardi Gras floats look like? |
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Here are a couple photos to give you an idea: |
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This is a fairly typical Mardi Gras float. They can be pulled by tractors, 18-wheelers, or large pickups like the one shown here.
The decorations on the float are decided by the theme. The theme for this parade was "Birds of a Feather."
The people on board are costumed. Sometimes they wear masks, sometimes they do not.
If you look to the top left of the float, you can see some beads in the air that have been thrown from the float. |
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This float is from the same parade. It is decorated a bit more elaborately though. Unlike the above one, It has two levels, and members stand and throw from both.
At the right side of the photo, you can see some of the people at the parade, reaching up to catch beads and other throws. |
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Are the parades just comprised of floats? |
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No! Bands also play a big part in the parades. On Mardi Gras day, high schools from all over the country march with the floats. Local elementary, junior high, and high school bands participate also. Some of these bands march in every parade!
The schools send a cast of band, directors, majorettes, cheerleaders, dance team, and flag team to the celebration. Escorts walk with them, and a couple of students carrying a banner with the school name and location usually lead off.
The bands play as they make their way through the parade route, and some of them even dance as they play! The rest of the cast marches and performs routines along the way. |
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This is one of the bands that marched during a night parade. Here, they are dancing as they play their instruments.
On the left, you can see a member of the flag team joining in, performing one of the team's routines. |
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Here is a different band marching Tuesday. They, too, were dancing when this photo was taken.
In the background you can see some people watching the band. Others are looking down the street for the next float. |
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What kinds of things do the krewes throw? |
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It depends on the particular krewe, but here are some of the goodies you might catch: |
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Beads are the most popular throws. They come in many shapes, colors, and lengths. The ones shown here are fairly typical. Metallic paint provides their shine. |
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These are doubloons. There are some generic ones, but usually each krewe has their own design. On one side is the name and logo of the krewe, along with the year it was formed. On the opposite side, the year and a representation of the theme are shown. They usually come in gold, green, purple, and silver, but sometimes other colors are also minted. |
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This is a reduced picture of the doubloons I scanned in. The original is 2256 x 1536 and shows fantastic detail! If you'd like a copy of it, please email me! |
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Other popular Mardi Gras throws include candy, moon pies, stuffed animals, snake whistles, and special Mardi Gras printed plastic cups. |
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That's it! I hope you had as much fun viewing this page as I had making it!
I want to give a special thank-you to Rick for taking the pictures. You did a great job!
Don't forget to sign my guestbook before you go! |
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Home |
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Finished 02-15-02 @ 4:20am |
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