Mardi Gras Parade

The kick off to carnival started with the Joan of Arc parade, the cobble stone streets where filled with vibrant masks, elaborate costumes and variety of people. Hearing the historic story of Joan of Arc and why she is celebrated brought chills up my spine. She was a 19 year old girl who did wonderful things for the city and the French and then was shamed and put on a stake with flames burning her flesh and cripsing her body to there was nothing but ashes left of her remains because they thought of her as a Heretic. They soon realized they made a huge mistake and now she is a huge part of New Orleans and is now remembered as a hero and is celebrated. All of the bright, vibrant colors of strangers clothing and masks, to all the drums banging, trumpets buzzing, metal clashing of the tambourines playing in the bands made the experience very intimate for me. While standing on the edge of the black, cold, iron fence watching the parade go by and peoples smiling faces, I felt happy. Looking over people who are standing on the sidewalk in the dark moonlight I catch the lights gleaming out of the St Louis Cathedral and the Cabildo windows. I suddenly feel this realization that I am actually here, standing in front of very famous, historic and beautiful architecture that carries so much meaning. I see faces of strangers smiling, dancing, and hands in the air cheering on the parade. I hear laughter and wonderful music being played from the bands. The intimate experience of getting to be apart of people's culture puts a smile on my face. 

Photos by me