Where to go in Louisiana
Louisiana comes alive in February with a variety of events. Most of the events are centered around Mardi Gras as it is one of the biggest February attractions in Louisiana. There are several events that take place over the two weekends and the week before the Fat Tuesday parades. A unique event that takes place at Breaux Bridge each year is the Bayou Boudin & Cracklin’ Festival. This event takes place at the Carencro Fairgrounds near Lafayette every February. Here you will have the opportunity to try authentic Cajun delicacies.
The biggest event in February is the New Orleans Mardi Gras. Every year the event hosts huge parades with celebrities and many masked Krewes. The parades are impressive with floats and thousands of sculpted props. There are several scheduled parades that take place at various times. Many are at night, but there are also some during the day. There are also several simultaneous parades that also occur. There are twelve days of parades in the month of February. The parades are the most common because the Krewes dress up in their costumes and throw beads and coconuts at each other.
Lafayette celebrates Le Festival de Mari Gras. This celebration is considered more kid friendly and safe as Bourbon Street and the French Quarter can get really crazy and it is not a place for kids to go. This is the second largest Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana. Lafayette offers several parades and events that are more family-oriented, including rides and games at the midway carnival and live bands. They also organize a costume contest. Mardi Gras dances are also popular events and the Krewe of Triton opens its dance to the public, while New Orleans’ big dances are for guests only.
The Corir de Mari Gras is a traditional rural celebration. This event is based on the medieval tradition of ceremonial begging. Large groups of masked and costumed horsemen roam the country to collect ingredients for the community’s gumbo. A caped captain leads the horsemen from house to house and they dance and sing for donations of ingredients. The day ends with a dance and lots of gumbo. Many of the small towns and villages in rural Louisiana participate in these types of events.
The origins of Mardi Gras lie in the Roman tradition of Carnival. It is the season between Christmas and Lent when the Romans would eat and drink more than usual in preparation for the fast, which would come with Lent. Mardi Gras takes place on Fat Tuesday and is the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the last day to pamper yourself and then you have to sacrifice something during Lent. The day of Ash Wednesday fluctuates with the date of Easter.