IT Editor Janelle Nanos has been blogging about her behind-the-scenes Mardi Gras Moments for the past few weeks, and this past weekend, she and a few other Traveler
staffers went down to New Orleans to document the celebration.
No event was more surreal than the Societé de Sainte Anne parade, which starts early on the morning of Mardi Gras in the Bywater neighborhood, not far from the French Quarter. I had visited the large backyard of Marcus Fraiser, where the parade unoffically begins, when I was reporting in January, but nothing had prepared me for the down-the-rabbit hole sensation of being there.
The first thing you see are the streamers. Large round circles of ribbons, easily 15 feet high, danced like spotlights against the bright blue sky, emerging from the sea of people who have already collected along Crouet Street. The horns and drummers weren't quite organized yet, so a cacophony of notes rose from the crowd, and your eyes, still a bit weary from waking up early, start to focus on individuals who look more like storybook characters (we got up at 6 a.m., like children on Christmas, to start the day). A dragon. A king. Marie Antoinette. Chickens, bumblebees, unicorns, devils, clowns. Masks shroud faces, and you don't know where to look, so you look everywhere. Wandering into the backyard, it seems like a stage set for Alice in Wonderland, or Venice, but there music begins to syncopate and you remember you're in New Orleans.
You feel as though you're inside a bag of popcorn, as more and more people start to appear out of nowhere and jumble alongside you, until finally things begin to feel like they're perfectly done. It's time to march. There is no one group that organizes the parade, no whistle blown to announce its start. Suddenly, it begins to move. We moved along with it, dressed in costume of course. There are no spectators, as no respectable participant would dare stand by, because being in this parade is far more fun than watching. We followed the group as they slowly made their way to the French Quarter. At points, the entire group would get tangled in a traffic jam, and people began spilling into side streets, or wandering up on balconies, and the mass of costumed people began to seep into the city, as if spreading the magic around. We ended up only a few blocks from Bourbon Street, but it felt as though we were inhabiting another world.
Video: Susanne Hackett
The first thing you see are the streamers. Large round circles of ribbons, easily 15 feet high, danced like spotlights against the bright blue sky, emerging from the sea of people who have already collected along Crouet Street. The horns and drummers weren't quite organized yet, so a cacophony of notes rose from the crowd, and your eyes, still a bit weary from waking up early, start to focus on individuals who look more like storybook characters (we got up at 6 a.m., like children on Christmas, to start the day). A dragon. A king. Marie Antoinette. Chickens, bumblebees, unicorns, devils, clowns. Masks shroud faces, and you don't know where to look, so you look everywhere. Wandering into the backyard, it seems like a stage set for Alice in Wonderland, or Venice, but there music begins to syncopate and you remember you're in New Orleans.
You feel as though you're inside a bag of popcorn, as more and more people start to appear out of nowhere and jumble alongside you, until finally things begin to feel like they're perfectly done. It's time to march. There is no one group that organizes the parade, no whistle blown to announce its start. Suddenly, it begins to move. We moved along with it, dressed in costume of course. There are no spectators, as no respectable participant would dare stand by, because being in this parade is far more fun than watching. We followed the group as they slowly made their way to the French Quarter. At points, the entire group would get tangled in a traffic jam, and people began spilling into side streets, or wandering up on balconies, and the mass of costumed people began to seep into the city, as if spreading the magic around. We ended up only a few blocks from Bourbon Street, but it felt as though we were inhabiting another world.
Video: Susanne Hackett
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Thank you for this lovely story! You really transported me to the magical world of Mardi Gras. It doesn't sound cliche or contrived at all. It sounds marvelous. And I love the line near the end, that sums it all up so perfectly: "Being in this parade is far more fun than watching."
Can you tell me about the hand grenade drink? Did you have any when you were down there?
Mardigras is an event which seems like concentric circles, were at a time there are several parades in the city which cater to different age group and mentality. For some young tourists it is all about wild fun and maximum exposure which they find in French Quarters. While for family oriented people, it is a family tradition and a source of enjoyment for children and gather along the parade routes of Mid City & Uptown. Mardigras is all about fun either you be with your family or friends.