Tag: King Cake
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The History of the New Orleans Jazz Fest
It’s festival season in New Orleans! There are tons of great options this time of year, but of course, the city’s crown jewel is the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, more simply referred to as Jazz Fest. That means Mango Freezes and cocoon de lait poboys. Second-lining Mardi Gras Indians and memories of Bruce…
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When, why, and how Sicilians turned New Orleans into their Little Palermo
New Orleans wouldn’t be New Orleans without influences from a variety of ethnic groups over the centuries: the French, the Spanish, Africans, and American Indians often get the lion’s share of the credit. In a recent post, we even wrote about how important Irish immigrants and their descendents have been in shaping the Crescent City. …
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More than St. Patrick’s Day: New Orleans’ Irish History, Part 2
In our most recent blog post, we tackled Irish history in New Orleans, from its beginnings in the 1700s all the way to nearly the mid-point of the 19th century. With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, we wanted to finish our exploration of this immigrant that has added so much to the Crescent…
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More than St. Patrick’s Day: New Orleans’ Irish History, Part 1
St. Patrick’s Day is nearly upon us! It has been mere weeks since Mardi Gras, but we’re ready for another parade-centric celebration. St. Paddy’s Day parades are held across the globe, but in New Orleans, they really make sense. We’re a city with a ton of Irish history. For example, by the 1880s, the neighborhood…
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Lent: The story about the period of scarcity following Mardi Gras
The overindulgence of Mardi Gras is over and we are now in a period of scarcity known as Lent. For many, this time of the year—the more than six weeks between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday preceding Easter—is a time marked by a smudge of ash on your forehead, Friday night fish fries, and giving…
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Think Carnival season is only celebrated in New Orleans? Not so fast!
Carnival is here! In our last blog post, we dug into how the ways New Orleans celebrates this special season can be traced back thousands of years to ancient Europe. We learned why we have these traditions leading up to Mardi Gras, but these traditions aren’t ours alone. While we are celebrating the Carnival season…
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Discover the roots of Carnival season—a worldwide phenomenon!
During Mardi Gras, the Greater New Orleans Area—and really most of Louisiana—feels like a one-of-a-kind place! In fact, we have a phrase to describe this feeling: “Everywhere else it’s just Tuesday.” The traditions of Louisiana during our weeks-long Carnival season are definitely special. Other places in the world have their version of king cake, for…
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You think you know Mardi Gras? How about Cajun Country’s Courir de Mardi Gras?!
Carnival is here again and many of us who have been in the area for a while consider ourselves to be a bit of a Mardi Gras expert. That’s fair—at least as it pertains to the Greater New Orleans Area. As you may be aware, only two-and-a-half hours west on Interstate 10, there’s a Mardi…
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Did you know king cake used to be a one-day-a-year treat?
Everyone in our slice of Louisiana is fully aware that king cake season begins on January 6. It’s the beginning of Carnival season, which means our favorite purple, green, and gold treat is available all the way until Mardi Gras. But what many people — and we’d wager to say most people — don’t realize…
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Boeuf Gras: Get Your Carnival Fill Before Lent
If you’ve seen the Rex parade on Fat Tuesday it’s likely you’ve noticed the enormous white bull sitting atop one of the iconic parade’s signature floats. And you’re not alone. Decades of New Orleanians have seen the same bewildering sight. Welcome to Boeuf Gras. The massive creature is known as Boeuf Gras and is one…
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King Cake’s Cousins Around the Globe
When you ask most Americans where king cake is eaten, the most frequent answers you’ll hear are Louisiana or New Orleans. But, to the surprise of many, king cake is enjoyed all across Europe and North America. This is because the king cake tradition began thousands of years ago in Ancient Rome. Mardi Gras (or…
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Twelfth Night Traditions of New Orleans
Twelfth Night — or January 6 — is the undisputed kick-off to Carnival season! But the Twelfth night of what? In many parts of the world, Twelfth Night and the Christian holiday, Epiphany, are synonymous. One definition of epiphany is “the manifestation of a supernatural being.” In this case, that supernatural being was the baby…
