More than a week since my last post, feels like an eternity. We have been relishing in the spirit of the Mardi Gras festivities down here. And before I start, I have to admit that I had absolutely no prior knowledge of anything Mardi Gras. Never been, never even had a desire to go, but here we are. So if this post seems basic in knowledge thats because it is. We have so much to learn.
So little did I know that Mardi Gras really takes up most of the month of February and there are actually Mardi Gras parades taking place the entire month all over the state. Big parades, little parades, wild parades.
Another gem of the season, King Cakes, which began showing up in stores on Three Kings Day and stay until Fat Tuesday. Nyah taught me all about this sweet indulgence as they have been enjoying King Cake at school all month. I finally did my research so I wasn't a bit phased when she pulled a collection of plastic babies from her pocket on her last day of school before her vacation. Vacation? Yes, Mardi Gras is a state holiday. Here is what she looked like when I picked her up from school on Friday.
Read here to learn more about the King Cake tradition. All I know is its dough drizzled with sweet icing and who doesn't like that?
When we asked neighbors and anyone and everyone else where to go and what to do for Mardi Gras the first thing everyone would say was, "DON'T TAKE THE KIDS TO NEW ORLEANS (what ever you do)." I was just guessing to avoid all that encompassed the reputation of Mardi Gras?
So what did we do Sunday? Took the family to New Orleans for the Bacchus parade, of course. We had to see what it was all about. And mind you, we are no newbies to parades. St. Croix's parades and St. Thomas's Carnival are wildly wonderful. No one in the islands seems to be the least bit shy about their love of celebrations.
So we arrived in New Orleans. The crowds were massive and we did our thing, worked our way to the front, and tried not to get taken out by the beads being thrown. Turns out the people on the floats love kids so the girls got more than their fare share of beads. George lovingly caught and adorned the girls with all the beads they could ever imagine.
If there was lude behavior going on, or nudity, we were oblivious. We stayed and danced and celebrated until just after 8 pm when we quickly made our exit. Overall, it was a great time and something we will absolutely do again. Our island babies were right in the mix. They loved every minute.
So we have officially checked Mardi Gras off our life list, though I must admit, I am still partial to Carnival. The costumes are what its about for me.
Happy Lent!
So little did I know that Mardi Gras really takes up most of the month of February and there are actually Mardi Gras parades taking place the entire month all over the state. Big parades, little parades, wild parades.
Another gem of the season, King Cakes, which began showing up in stores on Three Kings Day and stay until Fat Tuesday. Nyah taught me all about this sweet indulgence as they have been enjoying King Cake at school all month. I finally did my research so I wasn't a bit phased when she pulled a collection of plastic babies from her pocket on her last day of school before her vacation. Vacation? Yes, Mardi Gras is a state holiday. Here is what she looked like when I picked her up from school on Friday.
When we asked neighbors and anyone and everyone else where to go and what to do for Mardi Gras the first thing everyone would say was, "DON'T TAKE THE KIDS TO NEW ORLEANS (what ever you do)." I was just guessing to avoid all that encompassed the reputation of Mardi Gras?
So what did we do Sunday? Took the family to New Orleans for the Bacchus parade, of course. We had to see what it was all about. And mind you, we are no newbies to parades. St. Croix's parades and St. Thomas's Carnival are wildly wonderful. No one in the islands seems to be the least bit shy about their love of celebrations.
So we arrived in New Orleans. The crowds were massive and we did our thing, worked our way to the front, and tried not to get taken out by the beads being thrown. Turns out the people on the floats love kids so the girls got more than their fare share of beads. George lovingly caught and adorned the girls with all the beads they could ever imagine.
And I can't end this post without including a photo of the waste. Plastic beads seem to loose their luster after a few minutes and end up on the ground and that makes a whole lot of garbage. I think its all in the chase with the bead business.
Happy Lent!
No comments:
Post a Comment