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Boston Globe
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
As Mardi Gras approaches in New Orleans, maskers and parades take center stage
Carnival in New Orleans and around the world is rooted in Christian and Roman Catholic traditions. The season begins on Jan. 6, the 12th day after Christmas, and continues until Mardi Gras, which is the final day of feasting, drinking and revelry before Ash Wednesday and the fasting associated with Lent, the Christian season of preparation for Easter. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Carnival celebrations have become thoroughly secularized in New Orleans, where the largest and best-known celebrations in the U.S. include street parties, fancy balls and boisterous parades. Some of the parades are high-tech extravaganzas that feature massive floats laden with flashing lights and giant moving figures. Advertisement 'It's all about family. It's like a six-mile-long block party and nothing could be more fun. It's for everyone,' said Virginia Saussy of the Krewe of Muses, which is set to parade Thursday night. 'You got to come experience it to understand.' How else do people celebrate Mardi Gras? On Mardi Gras in southwest Louisiana, some people will take part in the Cajun French tradition of the Courir de Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday Run. These rural processions, with links to rituals from medieval France, feature masked and costumed riders, with stops where participants perform and beg for goods. Inebriated maskers often chase live chickens to include in a communal gumbo at the end of the day. In New Orleans, some African Americans mask in elaborate beaded and feathered Mardi Gras Indian suits, roving the city to sing, dance, drum and perform. The tradition, a central part of the Black Carnival experience in New Orleans since at least the late 1800s, is believed to have started in part as a way to pay homage to area Native Americans for their assistance to Black people and runaway slaves. It also developed at a time when segregation barred Black residents from taking part in whites-only parades. Advertisement How is New Orleans reacting to the New Year's Day attack? Following the Jan. 1 truck attack that killed 14 people in the heart of New Orleans, the Department of Homeland Security upgraded Mardi Gras to its highest risk rating. This means there will be significantly more law enforcement officers present than in prior years, said Eric DeLaune, who is leading Mardi Gras security as special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans. The city hosted the Super Bowl in early February and will employ many of the same security measures: SWAT teams on standby, armored vehicles along street corners, helicopters circling overhead and plainclothes agents mingling in crowds. The city will deploy 600 police officers, along with hundreds more from state and local agencies. 'We've made an effort to make carnival season as safe as we possibly can without intruding on the historical and cultural context of Mardi Gras,' said DeLaune, a Louisiana native who grew up attending the parades. 'We didn't want to change the feel of Mardi Gras.' What are other security precautions? Thousands of revelers will gather along the city's oak and mansion-lined St. Charles Avenue to watch towering floats, marching bands and celebrities parade. To protect them, a 'serpentine' layout of heavy barricades has been arranged on the road's opposite side to bar fast-moving vehicles while still allowing traffic. 'You're going to weave it like a snake,' New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters at a February press conference. 'That will slow anybody down who thinks they are going to use a vehicle as a weapon.' Advertisement Drones are banned, she added. Ice chests and coolers — which had been used to plant explosives during the Jan. 1 attack -- will remain barred from the busiest section of the city's historic French Quarter, said Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges. Why is Mardi Gras so late this year? Because it's linked to Easter, the date of Mardi Gras can fall anywhere between Feb. 3 and March 9. That's because Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This year's date of March 4 is one of the latest possible. That means warmer temperatures are likely along the Gulf Coast rather than the often cool and clammy weather of February. However, there's a chance of rain on Tuesday in the region. What are 'throws?' 'Throw' is a noun used to describe the trinkets that float riders in parades and walking members of carnival clubs — known as krewes — give to spectators. Shimmery strings of plastic beads are ubiquitous, although some krewes are exploring alternatives out of environmental concerns. Participants in the parade of New Orleans' Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club hand out highly sought-after painted coconuts. At Thursday's Muses parade, glittery hand-decorated shoes are the prize souvenir. 'The first year we created a bead that was a stiletto shoe and it was just to be a commemorative bead — but it took off,' said Saussy, who is the chairwoman of Muses' theme and floats. 'People love shoes, who knew?'
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
As Mardi Gras approaches in New Orleans, maskers and parades take center stage
Carnival season 2025 is approaching its climax in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast, with big parades rolling down the main routes as some revelers get fancied up for formal balls while others dress in costume to poke fun and make merry. Three parades will roll Thursday night in New Orleans with scores of masked riders on colorful floats. More processions will continue every day through Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. Costumed revelers will jam the French Quarter as more parades roll in New Orleans' suburbs, other Louisiana cities, and all along the Mississippi and Alabama coasts. What is Mardi Gras? Carnival in New Orleans and around the world is rooted in Christian and Roman Catholic traditions. The season begins on Jan. 6, the 12th day after Christmas, and continues until Mardi Gras, which is the final day of feasting, drinking and revelry before Ash Wednesday and the fasting associated with Lent, the Christian season of preparation for Easter. Carnival celebrations have become thoroughly secularized in New Orleans, where the largest and best-known celebrations in the U.S. include street parties, fancy balls and boisterous parades. Some of the parades are high-tech extravaganzas that feature massive floats laden with flashing lights and giant moving figures. 'It's all about family. It's like a six-mile-long block party and nothing could be more fun. It's for everyone,' said Virginia Saussy of the Krewe of Muses, which is set to parade Thursday night. "You got to come experience it to understand.' How else do people celebrate Mardi Gras? On Mardi Gras in southwest Louisiana, some people will take part in the Cajun French tradition of the Courir de Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday Run. These rural processions, with links to rituals from medieval France, feature masked and costumed riders, with stops where participants perform and beg for goods. Inebriated maskers often chase live chickens to include in a communal gumbo at the end of the day. In New Orleans, some African Americans mask in elaborate beaded and feathered Mardi Gras Indian suits, roving the city to sing, dance, drum and perform. The tradition, a central part of the Black Carnival experience in New Orleans since at least the late 1800s, is believed to have started in part as a way to pay homage to area Native Americans for their assistance to Black people and runaway slaves. It also developed at a time when segregation barred Black residents from taking part in whites-only parades. How is New Orleans reacting to the New Year's Day attack? Following the Jan. 1 truck attack that killed 14 people in the heart of New Orleans, the Department of Homeland Security upgraded Mardi Gras to its highest risk rating. This means there will be significantly more law enforcement officers present than in prior years, said Eric DeLaune, who is leading Mardi Gras security as special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans. The city hosted the Super Bowl in early February and will employ many of the same security measures: SWAT teams on standby, armored vehicles along street corners, helicopters circling overhead and plainclothes agents mingling in crowds. The city will deploy 600 police officers, along with hundreds more from state and local agencies. 'We've made an effort to make carnival season as safe as we possibly can without intruding on the historical and cultural context of Mardi Gras,' said DeLaune, a Louisiana native who grew up attending the parades. 'We didn't want to change the feel of Mardi Gras.' What are other security precautions? Thousands of revelers will gather along the city's oak and mansion-lined St. Charles Avenue to watch towering floats, marching bands and celebrities parade. To protect them, a 'serpentine' layout of heavy barricades has been arranged on the road's opposite side to bar fast-moving vehicles while still allowing traffic. 'You're going to weave it like a snake,' New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters at a February press conference. 'That will slow anybody down who thinks they are going to use a vehicle as a weapon.' Drones are banned, she added. Ice chests and coolers — which had been used to plant explosives during the Jan. 1 attack -- will remain barred from the busiest section of the city's historic French Quarter, said Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges. Why is Mardi Gras so late this year? Because it's linked to Easter, the date of Mardi Gras can fall anywhere between Feb. 3 and March 9. That's because Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This year's date of March 4 is one of the latest possible. That means warmer temperatures are likely along the Gulf Coast rather than the often cool and clammy weather of February. However, there's a chance of rain on Tuesday in the region. What are 'throws?' 'Throw' is a noun used to describe the trinkets that float riders in parades and walking members of carnival clubs — known as krewes — give to spectators. Shimmery strings of plastic beads are ubiquitous, although some krewes are exploring alternatives out of environmental concerns. Participants in the parade of New Orleans' Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club hand out highly sought-after painted coconuts. At Thursday's Muses parade, glittery hand-decorated shoes are the prize souvenir. 'The first year we created a bead that was a stiletto shoe and it was just to be a commemorative bead — but it took off,' said Saussy, who is the chairwoman of Muses' theme and floats. "People love shoes, who knew?' —— Amy reported from Atlanta.
Associated Press
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
As Mardi Gras approaches in New Orleans, maskers and parades take center stage
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Carnival season 2025 is approaching its climax in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast, with big parades rolling down the main routes as some revelers get fancied up for formal balls while others dress in costume to poke fun and make merry. Three parades will roll Thursday night in New Orleans with scores of masked riders on colorful floats. More processions will continue every day through Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. Costumed revelers will jam the French Quarter as more parades roll in New Orleans' suburbs, other Louisiana cities, and all along the Mississippi and Alabama coasts. What is Mardi Gras? Carnival in New Orleans and around the world is rooted in Christian and Roman Catholic traditions. The season begins on Jan. 6, the 12th day after Christmas, and continues until Mardi Gras, which is the final day of feasting, drinking and revelry before Ash Wednesday and the fasting associated with Lent, the Christian season of preparation for Easter. Carnival celebrations have become thoroughly secularized in New Orleans, where the largest and best-known celebrations in the U.S. include street parties, fancy balls and boisterous parades. Some of the parades are high-tech extravaganzas that feature massive floats laden with flashing lights and giant moving figures. 'It's all about family. It's like a six-mile-long block party and nothing could be more fun. It's for everyone,' said Virginia Saussy of the Krewe of Muses, which is set to parade Thursday night. 'You got to come experience it to understand.' How else do people celebrate Mardi Gras? On Mardi Gras in southwest Louisiana, some people will take part in the Cajun French tradition of the Courir de Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday Run. These rural processions, with links to rituals from medieval France, feature masked and costumed riders, with stops where participants perform and beg for goods. Inebriated maskers often chase live chickens to include in a communal gumbo at the end of the day. In New Orleans, some African Americans mask in elaborate beaded and feathered Mardi Gras Indian suits, roving the city to sing, dance, drum and perform. The tradition, a central part of the Black Carnival experience in New Orleans since at least the late 1800s, is believed to have started in part as a way to pay homage to area Native Americans for their assistance to Black people and runaway slaves. It also developed at a time when segregation barred Black residents from taking part in whites-only parades. How is New Orleans reacting to the New Year's Day attack? Following the Jan. 1 truck attack that killed 14 people in the heart of New Orleans, the Department of Homeland Security upgraded Mardi Gras to its highest risk rating. This means there will be significantly more law enforcement officers present than in prior years, said Eric DeLaune, who is leading Mardi Gras security as special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans. The city hosted the Super Bowl in early February and will employ many of the same security measures: SWAT teams on standby, armored vehicles along street corners, helicopters circling overhead and plainclothes agents mingling in crowds. The city will deploy 600 police officers, along with hundreds more from state and local agencies. 'We've made an effort to make carnival season as safe as we possibly can without intruding on the historical and cultural context of Mardi Gras,' said DeLaune, a Louisiana native who grew up attending the parades. 'We didn't want to change the feel of Mardi Gras.' What are other security precautions? Thousands of revelers will gather along the city's oak and mansion-lined St. Charles Avenue to watch towering floats, marching bands and celebrities parade. To protect them, a 'serpentine' layout of heavy barricades has been arranged on the road's opposite side to bar fast-moving vehicles while still allowing traffic. 'You're going to weave it like a snake,' New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick told reporters at a February press conference. 'That will slow anybody down who thinks they are going to use a vehicle as a weapon.' Drones are banned, she added. Ice chests and coolers — which had been used to plant explosives during the Jan. 1 attack -- will remain barred from the busiest section of the city's historic French Quarter, said Louisiana State Police Superintendent Robert Hodges. Why is Mardi Gras so late this year? Because it's linked to Easter, the date of Mardi Gras can fall anywhere between Feb. 3 and March 9. That's because Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This year's date of March 4 is one of the latest possible. That means warmer temperatures are likely along the Gulf Coast rather than the often cool and clammy weather of February. However, there's a chance of rain on Tuesday in the region. What are 'throws?' 'Throw' is a noun used to describe the trinkets that float riders in parades and walking members of carnival clubs — known as krewes — give to spectators. Shimmery strings of plastic beads are ubiquitous, although some krewes are exploring alternatives out of environmental concerns. Participants in the parade of New Orleans' Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club hand out highly sought-after painted coconuts. At Thursday's Muses parade, glittery hand-decorated shoes are the prize souvenir. 'The first year we created a bead that was a stiletto shoe and it was just to be a commemorative bead — but it took off,' said Saussy, who is the chairwoman of Muses' theme and floats. 'People love shoes, who knew?' ——
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
New Orleans Baby Dolls relearn historic French Creole songs
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) —The origins of New Orleans' most beloved organizations are storied. By the early 1900s, women from New Orleans' Red Light District, 7th Ward Creoles of color along with women of color throughout New Orleans found a unique way to express themselves. They were celebrating femininity and freedom, as well as Mardi Gras. 'Baby' had always been used as a term of endearment, but it would gain a new meaning because, by 1912, the New Orleans Baby Doll tradition was born. These women would parade throughout the city, dancing and singing with a spirit like no other. Krewe of Muses announces 2025 honorary Muse Dr. Kim Vaz-Deville is a historian, author and educator and says, 'It's definitely an African American tradition. Women like the Baby Dolls were a group of women who claimed an independent spirit and nature. They weren't afraid to be on the streets of New Orleans on Mardi Gras day having a good time!' The Nous Foundation is an organization that strives to preserve Francophone culture. Over the last few months, they collaborated with Vaz-Deville on a program to reteach the Louisiana Creole language to the Baby Dolls. Baby Dolls from different groups all over New Orleans came together for the project. The idea is that a select group of Baby Dolls can take the songs and language they learned through the program and teach their individual groups. Rudy Bazenet is the founder of the Nous Foundation and says, 'there was this direct banning of the languages for a long time. It was from 1921 to 1974. It very much meshed with Jim Crow. These laws passed were enshrined in the state's constitution. These laws made it illegal to have Creole or French as the primary language of education. You have very few examples of languages in the United States being banned, to the point, where you block transmission.' NABJ to celebrate 50 years of promoting diversity in newsrooms: A look at its origins The Baby Dolls sang in French and recorded a special album for the National Library of Congress recently, to safeguard the history and legacy of Baby Doll culture. There are many Baby Doll groups in New Orleans. Each group of Baby Dolls has its own style. The heritage is a two-way street. On one side, is the integrity of the old ways and language, on the other side is an innovative renaissance of carnival expression. 'These are women who have satin dresses with bonnets and bloomers who carry umbrellas. The umbrellas weren't something they did in the past. This is a newer innovation. It's a real style and signature piece of contemporary women who mask. They like to put their own signature on their umbrella,' explains pledges to take in sick Palestinian children as Trump backpedals on aid threat Judge adjusts ruling blocking Musk, DOGE from Treasury Department payment systems New Orleans Baby Dolls relearn historic French Creole songs King of Jordan urges patience as Trump presses Gaza takeover Durbin calls for investigation into Patel's role in FBI firings Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
