Let’s know about the history of new Orleans and the most interesting event of Mardi Gras 2021.
The first impression many people have when walking the streets of New Orleans for the first time is that the city doesn’t feel like part of the United States. Colonized by the French and Spaniards and populated by descendants of African slaves, as well as German, Italian and Irish immigrants, the city is a multicultural and racial junction that sets it apart from any other in the country.
The city had more than 80% of its territory devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Almost 11 years after the tragedy that killed around 1500 people and displaced thousands of others, there are still some remnants of damage around the city. But there is absolutely nothing that can spoil the relaxation and joy of the suffering people who have never lost heart even in the face of difficulties.
If there is a celebration that perfectly epitomizes the vibrant spirit of the place, nothing is more efficient than Mardi Gras 2021 (which means “Fat Tuesday”), his thrilled Carnival whose celebration began around 1830. In the American city the celebrations start about a month before.
Tourists from all corners of the United States and the world arrive in the city and the “Big Easy” is even busier than it is on normal days.
At Mardi Gras 2021, no club parties and parades in closed spaces for half a dozen dripping cats. To begin to understand the city’s celebration, it is simple to make a superficial comparison with Salvador, where the people have fun in the streets. But, unlike the capital of Bahia, there are no electric trios with untouchable artists. New Orleans takes the bands – little ones – formed by wind instruments to the middle of the people who follow in a kind of procession behind the musicians jumping and dancing.
And there’s everything there: couples who match their clothes, groups of friends who choose a theme (like a cartoon, for example), families who go with similar pieces and many, many people who go out wearing creative costumes and well – humorous as a way of criticizing the country’s politicians.
For those who want to get into the party mood and don’t have much disposition to create a super costume, there is always the possibility of wearing a mask. The decorated and colorful accessory is sold even in drugstores in the city and can be purchased for values starting at 5 dollars. Many local artisans also make masks manually and these pieces are usually much more expensive, but they are infinitely more beautiful.
Another important part of the carnival party in New Orleans are the so-called “parades”, a kind of parade that takes place in several streets of the city. In them, while some people walk around playing instruments and doing choreographies on the floor, others follow on top of huge decorated floats. At these stops, the population in general cannot mix with the people who are part of the parade and just watch them from the sidewalks while they vibrate and wave frantically.
