by josh | Feb 15, 2014 | Local Color and Customs
With a style all its own, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club early on dispensed with scripted decorum in favor of freewheeling irreverence expressed through a parody of stereotypes of Blacks in minstrelsy traditions, wacky takes on an African jungle theme, and...
by josh | Feb 15, 2014 | Backstreet Mardi Gras, Local Color and Customs
Black Masking Indians Once shrouded in secrecy, with little interest in sharing their traditions with the outside world, Black Masking Indians, also known as Mardi Gras Indians, have become celebrated icons whose music draws Grammy nominations and whose history and...
by grahamiam12288 | Feb 13, 2014 | Local Color and Customs, Mardi Gras 101, Mardi Gras Music
Mardi Gras Music History The nexus between Carnival and music reflects the festive, let-the-good-times-roll culture of the Crescent City, where parading and dancing have long been obsessions. The seasonal spirit and its accompanying soundtrack conspire to prompt...
by grahamiam12288 | Feb 11, 2014 | King Cake, Local Color and Customs
King Cake: A Rich Tradition Long before the Lord of Misrule reigned over the first pageant of the Twelfth Night Revelers in New Orleans, his ancient ancestor, the King of Saturnalia, set the precedent for a tradition that holds the key to understanding how a toothsome...
by grahamiam12288 | Feb 11, 2014 | Local Color and Customs, Mardi Gras 101
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by grahamiam12288 | Jan 30, 2014 | Local Color and Customs
Everybody knows that Mardi Gras is a time to frolic and have fun, to cut loose — to “throw down,” as they say in the Big Easy. But what about the trappings and traditions — the masks, beads, king cake and pretend royalty; the ubiquitous purple, green and gold? Mardi...
