Frenchmen Street

A street much more loved by locals in comparison to Bourbon, Frenchmen Street holds a lot of traditions dear to New Orleans’ heart. A great mix of camaraderie, music, Creole architecture and food, as well as installments of other cultures, Frenchmen Street is always alive with the spirit of New Orleans.

Aways down the river from the French Quarter, Frenchmen Street lies in “Faubourg Marigny”. Faubourg Marigny was a suburb created by Marquis Bernard de Marigny, a Creole man himself, which originally served as a housing area for colored mistresses of other white Creole men in the early 19th century. Frenchmen Street itself flourished during the beginning of the 21st century with a great number of live music venues.

Because of these Creole influenced beginnings, Frenchmen Street is full of Creole architecture. Many of the clubs, bars, and cafes are found in Creole Style Townhouses. Characteristics of this style include balconies and basic two to four story structure. Also, it includes features such as arched windows. These can be seen on the building of Maison, a popular jazz venue on Frenchmen Street.

Frenchmen Street is infamous for the countless live music acts nightly. Most of the venues feature jazz, such as previously mentioned Maison as well as Snug Harbor. Acts such as Charmaine Neville and Friends play at Snug Harbor, which is the act you can find there tonight. Here is a video of a previous visit of Charmaine Neville and Friends to Snug Harbor:

However, other styles of music can be found at places such as Cafe Negril, which features more reggae focused music. Margie Perez can be found playing at Cafe Negril this Wednesday, the 30th. Here is a video of a previous visit of Margie to Cafe Negril:

In contrast to popular Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street has more local culture as opposed to a more monopolized tourist industry taste. Also, a little detail includes Frenchmen’s lack of bright and flashing lights, all the music clubs utilizing wooden signs. One more thing, Frenchmen Street will be kinder to your wallet. Instead of asking for a door price, most bands ask for donations to a man named “Philip”. This is a play on words, which really is asking you to “fill”-”up” the tip jar. Please be generous when tipping, as this is how most of the bands get paid.

Food is not far out of reach on Frenchmen Street. It is stock full of culturally enhanced cafes and restaurants, which serve both Creole food as well as Thai, Middle Eastern, and Italian food for example.

All in all, Frenchmen Street represents a lot of Creole culture as it has come to terms with other cultures around it. It holds true to many Creole traditions, but allows other cultures to take their individual stylings as well.

The Voodoo Museum

In today's popular culture, "Voodoo" is often depicted as something evil, something that resembles witchcraft for instance. But it wasn't always seen as such. Originally from what's now the Republic of Benin in West Africa, Voodoo is (in simplest form) a spiritual system centered on God, spirits and ancestors. Voodoo came to America with the arrival of the first African prisoners in the early 1700s. During that time, Voodoo traditions were strictly African. But when slave deportation ended in the 1800s, African influence decreased and Voodoo gained Creole and American influences. To the Creoles Voodoo, with it's one God and many spirits who interceded for humans, bore a strong resemblance to the Catholic Church and the saints. So under Creole influence, Voodoo was merged with the Church (becoming almost an offshoot of the Church).

Hence it's not unusual to see crosses and statues of the Blessed Virgin amongst the voodoo dolls and potions.

The museum was opened in 1972 by the late Charles Massicot Gandolfo, a.k.a. "Voodoo Charlie." According to family legend, Gandolfo's great-great-grandfather Francois Daubert was saved from from a slave revolt by a slave woman named Jacquinette, who was also Voodoo Queen. As Daubert grew up, Jacquinette became his second mother and gained a dominating role in his life. It is said that through Gandolfo and his museum, Jacuinette's spirit lives on.

This is one of the art pieces from the museum, depicting history's most famous Voodoo Queen: Marie Laueau. A Creole, she blended Voodoo with her Catholic faith, and she was labled a saint by some, a witch by others. Both this and the next picture were painted by Gandolfo.

Another piece from the museum, depicted here is a Voodoo ceremony with a participant using a snake. The snake was said to represent one of the major Voodoo spirits, one who was the messanger between God and Man. When Voodoo first arrived in New Orleans, this snake was called "Li Grand Zambi" or "Ouncongo." Later when languages merged, he was called Papa Labas or St. Peter.

Louisiana Bayous

A staple of Louisiana culture is the many bayous that cover the Gulf Coast. People travel to the bayous of Louisiana from all over to go on

an exciting swamp tour. A bayou is a shallow body of slow-moving water, usually found on dry, flat lands. Alligators, crocodiles, shrimp,

crawfish, frogs, and other creatures call the bayous their home. Many Cajun & Creole groups

set up settlements along the bayous because of the

ease of transportation that they offered. The Acadians were the first group to do so, locating themselves on the Bayou Teche.

Swamp tours are offered all around bayou country. Also scattered around

the bayous are rest stops, offering "gator jerky" and other foods that

would seem unconventional in other regions of the country.

I recently was able to visit an old plantation located right on the

Yellow Bayou. The plantation was filled with beautiful oak trees that

were covered in hanging Spanish moss. A little dock led out to the bayou

itself, and I was able to go out in a canoe and paddle around for a bit.

Unfortunately, I didn't encounter any alligators or crocodiles, but

there were a lot of frogs. Also in the bayou were these little fish that

would throw themselves out of the water to catch bugs to eat. I would

definitely encourage everyone to try and make it out to the Bayou

country because it is completely stunning and an overall great

experience.

Mardi Gras: How did it Become as Extravagant as it has?

The celebration of Mardi Gras was brought to the United States, and especially to New Orleans, in 1699 (turn of the century) by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, a French explorer to begin the season of Lent. Iberville brought many French customs and traditions to New Orleans associated with Mardi Gras that had been long established in France, such as parades and balls. During times of French rule Mardi Gras was celebrated and enjoyed, but banned during times of Spanish rule. It wasn't until 1827, almost 20 years after New Orleans became the 18th state to join the United States, that Mardi Gras was celebrated again state wide .

At first, much of the celebration had been chaotic and violent, evoking more fear than joy, but when the Comos Organization was established in 1857, they gave the celebration sense of safety and beauty. They were able to do so as the six original members had been former cowbellions, men who had organized New Year's Parades, along with the floats and ball associated with the New Year's celebration. Because of their experience, the Comos Organization was successfully able to change the attitude surrounding Mardi Gras from suspicion to joy.

The parades became increasing larger after the Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovitch Romanoff of Russia visited New Orleans in 1872, during which the official Mardi Gras colors were established, as green, purple and gold were the Romanoff Family colors, and the tradition of having Kings and Queens began in order to greet the Grand Duke.

The tradition of starting each parade with a King and Queen, along with their "royal" party and Krewe members was typically reserved for the upper class, those with power and money and associated with or members of exclusive groups. This has changed as anyone who can pay the fee and other costs can typically ride on the floats, although there is still a hint of exclusivity. Some "super" parades, such as Endymion and Muses, have positions passed down through families or through personal relations with past krewe members, although members must still pay about $1,800 per parade, which includes throws, dues and fees. Members though, cannot be chosen based off of religion, race, sexual orientation or gender, as stated by the 1991 Discriminatory Rule, which also states that all floats and parades must have parade permits and public licenses.

Around the late 19th century (turn of the century) krewe members started throwing beads off the floats, typically in Mardi Gras colors, although it was't until the late 20th century, around the 1990s that krewe members began to throw goods other than beads, such as stuffed animals and LED gadgets.

The Mardi Gras celebration embraced another change around the 1940s and World War II when despair and sorrow hung in the air. The parades and celebrations were a way for the people to forget about the misery regarding the war and its aftermath and instead enjoy life and celebrate . Many celebrities and public figures began to appear in floats around this time as well, such as Louis Armstrong who was the King of the Zulu parade in 1949, further adding popularity and national interest in Mardi Gras celebrations.

After World War II the parades became a way for people to relax, celebrate and enjoy life, which is the feeling it has maintained to this day. People view Mardi Gras season as a way to recharge, be merry and forget about stress, problems and anxiety in their lives momentarily.

The Daily Show - Mardi Gras
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Creole Language of New Orleans

The Language of New Orleans

Many a time the city where you were born and raised is often revealed by what you say or how you say it. Accents and key phrases are common and centralized to certain regions of the world. For example, in the U.S. the word “y’all” is primarily used by southern residents where as north easterners would say “you guys”. People from the south are said to posses a certain southern twang. However, when considering the state of Louisiana, it would be wrong to say everyone from Louisiana sounds the same. Those living in Northern Louisiana will tell you there is a very unique language in south Louisiana: it’s the New Orleanians that have a language all to themselves: the Creole language.

Creole language comes from the combination of Spanish and Portuguese cultures that settled in the area of New Orleans with a French influence. More specifically, the term creole comes from the spanish word criollo and Portuguese word crioulo both versions of the verb criar which means to raise or breed. Therefore Creole language developed as a whole as the French, Spanish descendants mixed their culture with Caribbean slaves and natives.

What once started as a generic language of the creole people has now developed into specific variation in different areas within New Orleans. Between the cities, it's all about the inflection of vowels. Different variations of "you", "ya" or simply "y" create entirely different sounds in the same creole language. One common pronunciation point, is that in Creole speech of New Orleans, locals will not pronounce the "er" or "ing" of words. "Er" becomes "uh" or "a" i.e. 'trailer' would be read "trailuh" or "traila". Similarly, words ending in "ing" are pronounced without the "g" i.e. 'going' would be said 'goin'. Finally, an important part of New Orleans speech is that New Orleanians tend to put stress on the beginning of a word or phrase.

New Orleanians have embraced their unique language and accent and are proud of this aspect of their heritage. They appreciate pronouncing Tchoupitoulas as Chop a two' les. They don’t buy groceries, they make them. It is easy for them to differentiate between locals and tourists because it is such a culturally learned language.

Here are some popular creole terms/phrases:
Krewe: Legend has it that the word "Krewe" came from the old English spelling for the word "crew." A Krewe is an organization or club that parades at Mardi Gras.
Lagniappe - "Lan Yap": This is what New Orleans call something you get for free. For example, if you go to the butcher and he gives you a bone for your dog, it's called lagniappe.
Roux - "Rew": A roux is the base for many popular New Orleans dishes. It is made from flour and oil.
Cafe au Lait - "Ca Fay - Oh - Lay": This is New Orleans traditional coffee. Cafe au Lait is made from coffee and chickory mixed with boiled milk. Cafe au Lait is certain to give you a start for the new
Banquette - "Ban Ket": In New Orleans, this means, simply, a sidewalk.

Source for terms: http://www.crescentcity.com/dictionary.htm

To learn how to speak Creole check out this video:


Gucci Mane raps about the 9th ward and the unique New Orleans Accent:

Mardi Gras: Origins of the Beads

What is Mardi Gras without beads? While culture, food, and booze is an important part of Mardi Gras, beads is an essential part of Mardi Gras parties and the most popular souvenir thrown at parades (it also signifies good luck). It is now a Multi-Million dollar business and growing each year. Parade crews spend an average of $800-2000 per parade ride every year. There are two types of beads: the hand strung ones, the elaborate less common ones made of several materials. Because they are each hand strung individually they are the most expensive; the most common are those molded on thread and made entirely of plastic and are formed directly onto the string.

Beads weren't always thrown at Mardi Gras. It started around the 1800s for exclusive invitation-only balls. The tradition of throwing beads into the crowd of paraders started with the Twelfth Night Revelers, standing in the street shouting "throw me something, mister." However, beads weren't thrown until the 1920s by the Rex parade, who threw handmade inexpensive necklaces. The first toss was supposedly by a man in a Santa Claus costume. Then, beads were made of glass and imported from Japan and Czechoslovakia, today most are plastic or aluminium and imported from China due rising costs and injury from the glass beads. The first beads were all purple, green, and gold which hold special meanings. The purple represents justice, the green signify faith, and the gold illustrates power. However, as each year passes and the larger the celebrations, beads are now in every color and shape imaginable. (There are even some shops in New Orleans that allows you to make your own beads.) It's now even, mainly in the French Quarter, equated with boisterous behavior; men and women demanding folks show certain parts of their bodies to earn beads. This started around the 1970s, where the young people who gathered here lost their inhibitions in the carnival atmosphere.

As beads get longer and bigger, the biggest one 33" long, and in all shapes or decorations, the cleaning gets harder as more people come from around the world to catch themselves some beads. This year, about 200,000-250,000 people, which is half the size it would be in good weather, came for Mardi Gras. It requires the man power of about 400 people to clean up the entire New Orleans area if the amount of tourists were at its normal size. This year, however, only about an amount of seventy-five plus people was needed to do the job. The trash gets some much it can fill a large trash can, and takes up to three days to clean up all the trash and beads that litter the ground.

Another Mardi Gras has come and gone, and though the crowd wasn't as big as before, and people were a little stingy with the beads, it was a Mardi Gras to remember, and it'll only become better, just as the beads will get more and more outrageous and creative. This multi-million dollar business will only get bigger and bigger so long as Mardi Gras is here and people can't get enough of screaming "Throw me something, mister."

Boo!

Old School Baby Doll

Silence of the Lambs

Bonesmen Big and Small

Baby Doll

I did not find the most outrageous costume because my friends kept hopping from place to place. However, my friend was a baby doll this year!

Mardi Gras Photo Contest

Hello everybody! Below are the guidelines for our Mardi Gras Picture Contest in all their glory.

1. The objective is take a picture of the strangest (think outrageous!) costume you come across.

2. Said costume must be found at any of the Mardi Gras parades during the next week.

3. You must be in the picture with the person that you stumble across in order to prevent/ensure that the picture is legitimate and that it is your own.

4. As Dr. Hunt has already requested, the person that you take a picture with must be wearing an outrageous costume (i.e not naked).

5. The picture must be posted on this blog on Thursday, March 10th 2011. No pictures will be accepted earlier than midnight of the 9th, and no later than midnight of Thursday. This is to ensure that y'all will not scope out the competition and then attempt to trump your classmates with a more brilliant, ridiculous picture.

Nomination Period

From Thursday the 10th to Friday the 11th, you all will be nominating your favorite picture. Each of you will email me to tell me which is your favorite photo. You are not allowed to vote for your own picture entry. The winner be announced in class the following Monday.

The Prize!

Later in the semester, we will be attending a snowball stand (most likely Plum Street) and I will pay for the winner's snowball. In addition, the contest's winning photo will replace the slideshow at the top of the blog.


That's it folks! Get ready to take some of the uttermost ridiculous (hopefully anyway) photos this blog will ever see. Although the photos must be outrageous, remember that we are representing our school so let's not get too overboard with any inappropriate content.

Below is a picture I took during Mardi Gras last year--it is neither extremely ridiculous or outrageous (y'all can do way better), but I figured it might serve as some sort of a template.