Keep calm and Mardi Gras

[kestrell]

As anyone who knows me has heard me say, New Orleans is my spiritual home, so I take Mardi Gras seriously, and a lil ol' pandemic is not going to stand in the way of Mardi Gras.

Kestrell's Virtual Mardi Gras will be happening on
Tuesday, February 16.
Start time will be roughly between 6-7 A.M., and last until 5 or 6 P.M.

I'll definitely be wearing a costume and beads, and some blinged-out face masks(both the traditional Mardi Gras kind and the Covid-19 kind: a couple of face mask sources are included at the end of this post).
I'll play Mardi Gras music, and share my jambalaya recipe and my recipe for Hurricanes, which is so good that the non-alcohol version is just as good as the alcoholic one.

Mardi Gras is not about the floats, and it's not even about the beads and the drinking. It's about remembering to celebrate joyand great food and amazing music, but most of all, it's about hanging out with people who bring that same kind of joy and creativity to your life.

So get some beads and start creating that blinged-out face mask. Post a comment or send a message if you want to join in, and I'll send out the Zoom invite the week before Feb. 16. I'll also post the recipes for jambalaya and Hurricanes then, so it's all ready on Mardi Gras.

Carnival begins on Epiphany, Twelfth Night, Jan. 6, so it's never too soon to start getting the spirit: just turn on WWOZ or go to WWOZ.org (they play all kinds of music, so individual shows can sound very different, depending on when you tune in).
.

For now here are a couple of face mask sources:

This is where I got my "Keep Calm and Mardi Gras" face mask
Cafe Press store that sells Mardi Gras-themed face masks
https://www.cafepress.com/+mardi-gras+face-masks

This is where I got
my full-on bling face mask, including a pack of filters
https://www.etsy.com/listing/864330321/new-purple-swarovski-bling-face-mask
from
GLITZYGLMstore
https://www.etsy.com/shop/GLITZYGLMstore?ref=l2-about-shopname

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Ooo! Oooo! Ooooooo!

[jesse_the_k]

Streaming WWOZ, and it's great.

What's the origin of your delight in New Orleans? Did you live there or have friends there?

Have you seen TREME, David Simon's post Katrina meditation on New Orleans? It's beautiful and sad and scary and hard.

On what platform will your party dance?

[kestrell]

I'm going to use Zoom, since I think it is the most accessible platform.

Yes, I have seen season 1 of Trme: I began seeing it one day when Alexx and I got held over in a hotel room in Chicago, after a flight rescheduling. I already had most of the songs, and knew who most of the famous people were, and I *adore* Kermit Ruffins, because who doesn't?

Not sure when I fell in love with New Orleans: it began as a teenager, but I really fell in love with everything New Orleans when I read Luisah Teish's memoir, _Jambalaya_, about growing up black, female, and in a vodoun tradition in New Orleans. That's when I really started listening to the music, learning about the food, and reading about the history.

I began hosting a very small Mardi Gras party years ago: I make a giant batch of jambalaya, including a second vegetarian batch, and a friend makes a King Cake, and I give out beads. Last year I gave out tie-dyed handkerchiefs I had made in the Mardi Gras colors--purple, green, and gold--and I try to get people to second line (the traditional New Orleans parade dance) around the dining room table. I'll explain more about traditions throughout Carnival.

[jesse_the_k]

Oooo, YeYe Luisah Teish is very active on YouTube luisahteishyeye these days!