Mardi Gras – A Family Holiday!
Most non-New Orleanians are surprised when I describe our city as “family-oriented.” And nothing proves how family friendly NOLA is more than our famous family party – the great Mardi Gras (MG). Almost every story line of MG involves families – from the Krewes to the Bar-B-Que’s – it’s all family! Sure, there a few seedy aspects of the holiday – like any family gathering – but that’s really only a very small, darker part of a much larger, much brighter and much more joyous family holiday. In fact, at its most basic level, MG really is about having tons of fun with those you love most – your friends and your family. Mardi Gras is the quintessential family holiday!
And thankfully, MG doesn’t just bring you close to
your immediate friends and family – those you know well and see regularly. MG also brings you closer to your community family – all of those wonderful (and a few not-so-wonderful) people that you live around every day. All the school kids in all the marching bands. The dedicated police officers visible and chatting on every corner. The coconut painters who you’ll never know but secretly love. Those people you just met who let you crowd into their space, helped your kids catch one more trinket, and who shared a beer with you while helping you load your chairs onto your ladder. And all those thousands of float riders who give you gifts out of their own generosity. Yes Mardi Gras is an extravagant, glorious holiday, in the very best sense of the word, for it brings us closer to our loved ones, known and not-yet-known.
It’s a family holiday! Let the good times roll… Amen?
