With Mardi Gras quickly approaching, our schedule of extracurricular activities here in New Orleans has become jam packed! Good gosh does this city throw a lot of parades. More specifically, it is the Carnival krewes that do the parading.
I mentioned krewes briefly in my post about the Joan of Arc parade that happened last month, but in case you need a refresher: krewes (pronounced just like "crews" or "cruise") are essentially social clubs made up of dues-paying members. Some are more exclusive and require a special invitation to join, while others can be joined by anyone willing to pay the dues. Some are largely made up of New Orleanians, while others contain many out-of-town members. Many have specific characteristics, too. Muses, for example, is all female, and the Krewe of Cork hosts wines tastings throughout the year.
Most krewes parade every Mardi Gras season on the same established route and date. We YAVs are fortunate this year to live within walking distance of the Uptown parade route. Everyone seems to have their own strategy for spectating, too. You're either neutral ground side, or sidewalk side. Seriously, people are dedicated enough to their sides that there are even tshirts to declare your loyalty! We've become quite partial to the neutral ground (or the median, as they say in non-NOLA places). Parents add seats to the tops of ladders from which their children watch parades (because contrary to popular opinion, most of Mardi Gras is very family friendly).
And then there are the throws. Those, as I also mentioned in that Joan of Arc post, are the things riders throw (get it?) from their floats. These include the traditional plain plastic beads, in addition to strands of varying size and shape. Many krewes have medallion beads too, which feature their name and/or emblem, and some krewes also distribute glass beads. Then there are the plastic cups, doubloons (metal or wooden coins with krewe emblems and dates), stuffed animals, and an assortment of handmade krewe-specific throws. The ones we keep hearing about are Muses' decorated shoes, and Zulu's decorated coconuts. Also, at the Oshun parade last weekend, I got my hands on some sweet Hannah Montana pens. There is a distinct strategy to catching throws. So far as I've learned, you have to pick out the rider you want something from, make eye contact with them and wave and cheer and if necessary, yell the kind of throw you're aiming to get.
Another important part of these parades (and one of my favorite parts, at that) are the marching bands. Every parade we've been to has featured at least a handful of bands and dance groups. It's refreshing to see a city and tradition that puts so much value and importance on middle and high school arts. Granted, I don't know the specifics of actual music programs in schools, and it's no secret that New Orleans loves music. But I think it's so great that these marching bands have such an established role in parade season.
To get an idea of just how many parades happen in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, you can take a gander at the parade schedule for the month here. We went to six just last weekend, and now there are parades every day through Mardi Gras. A few roommates and I went on an adventure last night for costume supplies to be put to use on Mardi Gras day...all I'm saying is there might be a purple toga in the works, and colored/glitter hairspray was buy one get one free at Party City. Don't worry, I'm sure there will be ample photo documentation.
Until then, here are some parade pictures from our adventures so far...all of which I stole from Lauren. (Thanks roomie.)
Love,
Allison
 |
| Krewe of Cork marchin' on through the Quarter. |
 |
| Post Krewe of Cork, excited about our wine-related acquisitions. |
 |
| Because, you know, a giant plastic toothbrush is a totally logical thing to throw off of a parade float. |
 |
| Krewe of Pontchartrain rolls down St. Charles Ave. |
 |
| It's not even funny how excited we were to score Pontchartrain medallions. |
 |
| Parade buddies! |
