March 1, 2006 | Filed under: big easy, Holiday! Celebrate!
MARDI GRAS UPDATE: RESPONSE TO COMMENTS LEFT ON PRIOR POST:
(click on the picture or here for some brief Quicktime parade silliness…note that the older woman in the video had, just seconds earlier, nearly wrestled a girl half her age to the ground for a string of cheap green beads…and won)
Interestingly, the dissenting voices re:”should there be a Mardi Gras” have been overwhelmingly non-local. Truth be told, it does leave a strange taste in one’s mouth to be so overindulgent when there has been so much tragedy. Indeed, the concept of Mardi Gras in general may seem a bit odd to some, but many cultues around the world have a pre-Lent blow out in one form or another. What people don’t understand is that Mardi Gras is as ingrained in New Orleanean culture as Carnival is to Brazilians, Carribeans and Venetians. Mardi Gras is most certainly NOT just a night of drunken frat boys and squealing co-eds flashing their boobs on Bourbon Street. It’s two solid weeks of parades, costumes, concerts, dancing in the streets and family fun all across city and the surrounding area. This is not the Superbowl, people. Nor is it the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the 4th of July or even New Year’s Eve . It’s much bigger and it’s roots are far deeper. Mardi Gras is a big, fat deal.
Tourism is one of NO’s main moneymakers. Tourism + Mardi Gras =$$$. Big $$$. Big desperately needed $$$. In the pre-Katrina days Mardi Gras generated millions for the city. This year? Who knows. This year the theme, however unofficial, seemed to be “New Orleans is Open For Business and Can Handle Tourism So Get Over Here, Already!”.
Floats and parades are organized and run by various Krewes and social clubs. Aside from the permits, the government is not particularly involved. The big government involvment comes in the form of NOPD overtime costs, and those costs are quite high. Glad (as in trash bags) donated an unspecified six-figure sum to help defray those costs, and other donations from Krewes were added to that pot. Was it enough? I have no idea. Was money diverted from assisting Katrina victims? Please. I highly doubt it.
Anyone who has any doubts about what Mardi Gras really is, or what is really means to the people of New Orleans has obviously never been there.
Or they never got off Bourbon Street to find out.
March 1, 2006
@ 5:57 pm
Awesome post, MissB; This is perhaps the best explanation of the Mardi Gras situation in a nutshell that I’ve read. Take Care.
Cathy
March 1, 2006
@ 9:20 pm
its kinda sad what happened to New Orleans.. I don’t think Mardi Gras will be what it was like for a while..
Miss B, how did you get those beads?
March 1, 2006
@ 9:21 pm
I love how consistant you are at posting. (Something I need to learn.)
Good Post,
Evan (http://e-vlog.blogspot.com)
March 2, 2006
@ 10:10 am
I was there many years ago…
you are so cool miss b…
I want to go back to bat rogue in the spring and then take that trip down to new orleans….I live so far from that reality…thanks for this moment…however I stuff my body in a 747 and go fly back to the big bad us…help me…I like asia…urgh, wal mart….but my bro and sis, and folks; and I love the dog…
March 2, 2006
@ 12:45 pm
Excellent video of Mardi Gra! The closest I ever got was the Rio hotel in Las Vegas where they throw beads from the balcony, but that was lame compared to New Oreleans which I’m sure has the best Mardi Gra EVER!
I loved your footage of the floats and beads. AND that lady was so cute. The interview was great! Can’t wait for your next post! And for more BEADS!
March 2, 2006
@ 4:31 pm
I agree with your post regarding Mardi Gras. It’s a time honored tradition that has much deeper roots than getting shitfaced on Bourbon street.. Nice haul without flashing. Can you imagine what you would have gotten???
March 2, 2006
@ 4:54 pm
I read that one comment on your last post and you know……some people………In times of great sadness and sorrow and suffering sometimes you just need to let loose and have fun…..and that is what I see N.O. doing. Let the arguements about rebuilding, blame and everything else go away for a few days and just celebrate LIFE! Maybe if we did that a bit more, we wouldn’t be so full of……. Great post, hope you are having a blast…
March 3, 2006
@ 8:21 am
Awesome. Thank you so much for this post. NPR has done an amazing job documenting the importance of Mardi Gras to New Orleans, and you topped them!
Thanks!
March 4, 2006
@ 12:48 am
Great post! I finally got around to putting up a link to you over at Mediblogopathy - feel free to grab a NurseBlogs logo badge if you like. Keep on with the great posts!
-HK
http://mediblogopathy.blogspot.com