There's nothing in the world like Bourbon street during this time of year! The people come out of the woodwork in all sorts of funny costumes! One time I saw a man wearing a T-shirt with beads sewn to it. The beads were cut so that they'd be long strands that hung to his knees. That's all he had on - that shirt with those beads. HEHEHEH, I won't forget that one!
The masks during Mardi Gras are phenomenal! There are so many different ones - to hide the real person so that the devil can come out! It's CRAZY!
The ZULU parade is one of my all time favorite parades! Maybe it's the primitiveness of it, maybe it's the coconuts that are given to those that WOW those on the floats, maybe because it's the parade I attended the most. Dunno, but I loved it. I loved trying to get them to give me something "special". My dad would hold me up on his shoulders so we could get high enough to see/talk to those riding the float and that would usually result in me getting something. I scored some panties a few times! Nothing you'd wear, but fun nonetheless!
AH, and the beads! They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors! Mostly purple, green, and gold to symbolize justice, faith, and power. People go nuts trying to get these things. Men pile them high on their necks and offer to give them to the ladies for a kiss. I've seen some men with so many beads that it didn't look like they even had a neck! At the end of a parade you can find beads in the trees, on the power lines, crushed in the streets, on balconies, and more! There are also dabloons decorated with the Krewe logo (those are the people in each parade) and those are just about as prized as the famous coconuts from the Zulu parades!
Yeah, Mardi Gras - great time - great party - great memories! For example, one time we bought a bunch of coconuts and painted them gold and wrote "ZULU" on them and all sorts of other things and then we went to the parade with them. My little sis would sell them to unsuspecting tourists that had heard of the coconuts. Most of the time people would ask her for it and then she'd offer it for $20.00 - and they'd buy it!! WOW - we made some money that year! GOOD TIMES!The drunks are the best to watch - they really put on a show! The king cakes are the best to eat - filled with your favorite things, and a plastic baby too! (if you've had a king cake then no explanation needed!).
I'm sad that I'm missing Mardi Gras this year. I would love to take my kids to some of the more tame parades so that they can see how much fun some of these traditions are. Maybe next year!
3 comments:
Sounds like a lot fun!! Fun that is what I need in my life instead of BORED!
Man, I SO wish that we could have gone this year. There is always next year though - oooh, Wait... we are going on a cruise next year... OH WELL to Mardi Gras then... a cruise is WAY more fun!
All right - let's go next year.
Post a Comment