This Mardi Gras was very fun and eventful. I went to Chaos, Muses, Endymion, Thoths and one other parade this year. I probably would have gone to more if I had the proper transportation. I honestly only went to some due to support family participating and put on a fundraiser. People who are not from New Orleans tend to think it's a time when people get drunk, show breast, and do things that will be regretted in the morning. In some spots of the city, it is exactly like that, but in others, Mardi Gras is a fun family friendly holiday. I like the fun family friendly Mardi Gras. It's a time for me to let loose and forget school work and house work. Mardi Gras is technically a religious holiday down here in New Orleans and Louisiana. Some see as a time to get rid of all their sins before lent. They wear masks in order to do and see the unthinkable. It's Fat Tuesday and they have to do it big. Being surrounded by tourists this year, I kind of don't like some. During Muses, I received an armpit to the face and a push into a float over some sparkly shoes. I was not a happy camper. During Endymion, this family tried to hurt me several times over light up swords that I caught. They were thrown at me and I caught them. Anyway, I think Mardi Gras can truly be enjoyable without the excessive amounts of alcohol and nudity. If your in the right spot with the right friends, you can have a fantastic time. Of course, people have their own ways of fun during this carnival season. What I perceive as fun may be seen as boring. Although Mardi Gras is extremely annoying to me, it's an incredibly fun holiday. Some may not understand its religious relations (I barely understand the religious part myself), but they do understand it's designed for people to let loose. Well, I hope everyone enjoyed their days leading up to Fat Tuesday, and I hope they caught all the little trinkets they could hope for.
It was interesting to read something about Mardi Gras that didn’t perceive it as something totally fun. Most people look at it as something that’s all fun all the time but I’m glad you pointed out some of the down sides. The nasty crowds at the parades you mentioned are something I can relate to. I’ve been punched, elbowed, and hit in the face by a trombone throughout many years of Mardi Gras. The families that have a wall of folding chairs directly at the front of the parade route are particularly vicious. This also includes the people that use ladders to catch all of their Mardi Gras goodies. Your blog pointed out that some people just use the holiday as an excuse to get belligerently drunk and don’t appreciate all the interesting parts about it. I have had experiences with friends who would rather get wasted than to try and catch something special.
ReplyDelete-Yamato O'Connell
I really agreed a lot with what you said. I too am annoyed by Mardi Gras; the excessive crowds, the insane traffic, all the tourists…but it is a really fun time nonetheless. I liked that you pointed out that while Mardi Gras is a good time, there are some negative sides. People get a little too crazy sometimes. One of my friends was once beaten up over beads. This year, someone threw up all over my shoes…yeah, that was not pleasant. Although I am not big into going to parades to catch the throws (even though I would really like to catch a shoe from Muses), I think there are some truly unique and memorable throws people could catch, but people are just so concerned with getting wasted or acting out of the norm (flashing) to truly appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of Mardi Gras has to offer.
ReplyDeleteKatie Carey