Lori Archer-Smith 2017-01-16 16:11:29
Mardi Gras Indian ©SIME/eStock Photo Laissez lesbon temps rouler during Carnival season in Louisiana. Got a bucket list? Mardi Gras belongs right at the top. The Carnival season starts on Twelfth Night (Jan. 6, 2017) and doesn’t end till midnight on Fat Tuesday (Feb.28, 2017). After each parade, the trees and power lines of Louisiana cities’ most traveled thoroughfares are covered with beads. In the months to come, they will serve as glittering reminders of America’s most magical celebration. Mardi Gras is all about masked balls, mammoth parades with signature “throws” and locals adorned in creative, homemade costumes. Where else can you see an entire family dressed as crawfish? King cake parties are an everyday thing during Carnival season. Who makes the best? Ask 20 people and get 20 dierent answers, including Manny Randazzo’s King Cakes and Dorignac’s Food Center in Metairie, and Meche's Donut King in Lafayette. Church Point Courir de Mardi Gras ©Cajunzydecophotos Krewe of Harambee ©Shreveport-Bossier CTB Mardi Gras parade ©Lake Charles CVB Krewe of Harambee ©Shreveport-Bossier CTB Mardi Gras beads ©iStock.com/rschwartzscenics In New Orleans, more than 60 parades roll during the season including Endymion, Bacchus, Zulu and Rex, the King of Carnival. In recent years, all-women krewes have become popular as well. The Krewe of Muses throws decorative shoes to the crowds while Nyx tosses purses. If you’re lucky, you’ll bump into a band of Mardi Gras Indians. These men spend all year sewing the elaborate costumes they’ll wear for just one day. The parade route doesn’t end in New Orleans. Baton Rouge’s Mardi Gras is a family-friendly event that features decorated floats, marching bands, pet parades and even a krewe that pushes lawn mowers, the Krewe of Yazoo. Lafayette has two weeks of parades and a unique tradition of naming the king and queen of the festivities after Evangeline and Gabriel, star-crossed Acadian lovers made famous by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Down in Houma you’ll find sumptuous king cakes and family friendly parades that start with the Krewe of Hercules. And in Church Point, Mamou, Eunice and other small towns outside Lafayette, they celebrate the Courir de Mardi Gras. Merry men on horseback go from house to house, collecting contributions for the communal gumbo. After New Orleans, Lake Charles has the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana. On Lundi Gras (the Monday before Fat Tuesday) the city’s 60 krewes unveil their royal wardrobes at the Royal Gala. Music and dancing follow. Alexandria, too, celebrates Mardi Gras in a big way with 23 krewes taking it to the streets. Shreveport is home to the Krewe of Centaur, one of the largest organizations in the state, and the Krewe of Highland parade is known for its unique throws, including grilled hot dogs and ramen noodles. INSTAGRAM.COM/LOUISIANATRAVEL I think I'll have some #kingcake for breakfast.... #nola #neworleans. –thriftygeekyrun
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Mardi Gras
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