With the recent Super Bowl victory of the New Orleans Saints, I am deeply reminded of a city near and dear to my heart.  I spent four years of undergraduate studies in New Orleans, and over this time I grew to understand and appreciate the many cultural traditions the legendary city has to offer, especially Mardi Gras.  Although today – Fat Tuesday – marks the end of the Carnival season, it’s no surprise that New Orleanians have been living-it-up for weeks. 

Each year, parades begin taking over the city the last week of January. At this time, the city’s generally slow pace is amped with both energy and a collective sense of celebration and pride. Families and fraternities alike line parade routes with homemade high chairs and libation stations.  From morning to night, the smells of barbeque and crawfish fill the air, and the soulful sounds of a brass band can always be heard in the distance.  As parades of varying sizes crawl throughout the city, the amount of beads dangling from the telephone wires and Oak trees lining the streets begins to grow.  And after several weeks of unmatched debauchery, the city returns to its tranquil state…until the next festival, that is.

Daniel