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139.2 – Mardi Gras in New Orleans

139.2 – Mardi Gras in New Orleans



Every year in New Orleans, Louisiana, a million visitors come to experience the biggest Mardi Gras party in the United States. Learn about the history of this event and the traditions and culture surrounding it.

If you plan on visiting, be sure to stay tuned until the very end; you'll learn how to make the most of it as a tourist!

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A lot of our visitors come here thinking Mardi Gras is one day full of parades down Bourbon Street. And it's true that on Mardi Gras you can find huge parties on Bourbon Street with people wearing costumes and throwing beads, the thing is, that's any day on Bourbon Street.

The difference is that on Mardi Gras, the crowd is waiting for a parade that's never going to come. Most parades never enter the French Quarter. Also, most of them are family friendly and most of them don't happen on Mardi Gras Day. We have dozens of parades over several weeks leading up to the

Big day. Hi, everybody. My name is Shana and this is the American English Podcast. My goal here is to teach you the English spoken in the United States. Through common expressions, pronunciation tips, and interesting cultural snippets or stories, I hope to keep this fun, useful and interesting! Let's do it. Hey, guys.

Welcome back to this week's episode. This is the second part of episode number 139. And today, we'll be talking about Mardi Gras in New Orleans, which is in full effect as I speak! It's happening right now. The introduction to this episode was taken from a video titled

"New Orleans Tourist Traps and Things to Avoid." It was recorded by Free Tours By Foot, and I highly recommend watching it if you plan on visiting the city. It's a phenomenal video about how to take advantage of the culture in New Orleans and yeah, it's great to watch.

I'll post the link for you in the transcript so that you can check it out. We'll start the lesson today by going through the history of Mardi Gras. It's a massive celebration, so there are a lot of parts to this, but be sure to stay tuned towards the middle and the end

If it's an event that you'd like to visit. This is not an event for everybody. It's not everybody's cup of tea, but if it is up your alley, once again, stay tuned until the end. What comes to mind when you think of the word "carnival?"

If you're Brazilian, you might think of Rio de Janeiro with their massive parades near the Copacabana. You might think of the costumes, usually they're ornate, they're very decorated with sequins, and sometimes they wear feathered hats. Perhaps you think of samba schools. If you ask an American the same question,"What comes to mind

When you hear the word carnival?" it may cause some confusion at first. A carnival to someone in the United States is a traveling amusement park or circus. We understand the word carnival, referring to the extravagant parties at the beginning of each year, you just

Need to provide some context, so that we get what you're talking about. In the US, we commonly refer to what others call "Carnival" as Mardi Gras, which is French for Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday. Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, is the day before Ash Wednesday,

Which is the beginning of Lent; a 40-day period of time when many members of the Christian faith fast. To fast is a verb that means to abstain from consuming something. It's said that by Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent, you should eat up all of the fats in your house because

When Lent starts, you'll need to abstain from eating those fats, or those sweets and those meats. You'll spend 40 days without that luxury. In fact, the etymology of "carnival" is quite similar. The Britannica Encyclopedia says that carnival derives from carne levare in Latin, which means to remove or to take away meat.

During Lent, many Americans, both those of the faith and some who are not, choose to fast. They stop eating meat or drinking alcohol, some may only eat one big meal per day. For others, fasting includes giving up certain habits, like using social media.

Lent practices vary from person to person, and depending on how strict someone is with their religious beliefs. According to History.com, some historians believe that Mardi Gras celebrations date back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, and that when Christianity grew in Rome, leaders in the church adopted

The celebratory customs because they served as a reminder that Lent was near. It was seen as a time of indulgence before sacrifice. I won't go too deep into talking about Lent, Ash Wednesday, and religious interpretations of all of this, it's not my area of

Expertise, but what you should know is that when people use the term Mardi Gras, they're not just referring to one specific day. They usually are referring to the two-week time frame leading up to Mardi Gras. That's when a lot of the celebrations take place with the

Parades and the costumes, the floats and balls and all that jazz. Some people also say Mardi Gras Season, which is from January 6th until Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. How did Mardi Gras become popular in New Orleans? Typically, Carnival or Mardi Gras celebrations are big, where Catholicism has strong roots.

For example, in Venice, Italy, Cologne, in Germany, Quebec, in Canada, Marseilles in France. That's just to name a few. Louisiana is no exception, Catholicism, Catholicism has strong roots there. So Catholicism is the religion and someone who practices Catholicism is Catholic. There's an o in Catholic, right in the middle, but we don't

Really pronounce that. Catholic. Like you're licking someone named Cath! We know that Louisiana's territory was heavily colonized by France in the 18th century, and it's called Louisiana because Louis the 14th, was in power at the time of exploration there. But why is it that Mardi Gras is in that region?

Well, it's all because of a French-Canadian explorer named Pierre Le Moyne D'Iberville, excuse my pronunciation with that. On March 3rd, 1699, Pierre held a little party in a spot he dubbed Le Point du Mardi Gras, which was about 60 miles away from New Orleans.

A few years later, in present day Mobile, Alabama, there was a bigger party where masks were used, feasts took place. Mobile, Alabama, claims they're the location of the first Mardi Gras in the United States. Today, celebrations take place in many cities with French colonial heritage, but it's New Orleans, Louisiana, that's all

The hype. When something is hyped up or all the hype, it means everybody talks about it. It's buzz-worthy, it's heavily promoted, it gets a lot of publicity. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is all the hype. Every year, 1 million visitors come to experience it. Why is it so famous, though?

Well, perhaps part of the intrigue, or the thing that draws in tourists is New Orleans in and of itself. In other words, New Orleans proper. As a city, it's vibrant and warm . While walking through it as a tourist, you smell the pecans roasting the beignet batter in the deep fryer.

Beignets are a local remnant from France; they're a square-shaped, deep-fried pastry that they add powdered sugar on top of and they're absolutely delicious. You'll also pass restaurants serving up Creole and Cajun food. It's comforting and it's probably different from any type of food you've had before.

You can stop in local voodoo shops, and of course, I can't go without mentioning the French Quarter. There's a sort of irresistible charm that comes from the French Quarter. Many of the buildings have wrap-around balconies, so they go from one side of the building to the other side.

There's a lot of wrought-iron decoration and hanging pots full of flowers and plants. So while you eat your beignet and sip on whatever cocktail you choose, because drinking is legal outside, you'll hear trumpets, the saxophone, pianists and singers. Street musicians in New Orleans rival the talent of popular jazz

Clubs, and it's just lovely. Two of the most popular activities during Mardi Gras in New Orleans are the balls, which are fancy dance parties and watching the parades with their magnificent floats. A float is a decorated platform, usually built on top of a car or

A truck, that makes its way down the street during a parade. You might see a massive alligator float, a float that looks like a dragon, one that looks like a jester. At Mardi Gras, there are thousands of participants and a ton of floats.

In fact, every year there are between 35 to 50 impressive parades that are free to attend. Like the balls, they are organized by licensed krewes, K R E W E. A krewe is an organization of like-minded people with a unique history and purpose. Each krewe organizes their parade, their floats, their

Throws and more. And nowadays there are over 60 krewes in New Orleans, the three largest being Bacchus, Endymion and Orpheus. And just to give you an idea, Endymion, I think that's how you pronounce it, has 37 floats and 3,200 riders (so the people that are on the floats are walking next to

Them). Those three largest krewes are called super-krewes. If you go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, you should definitely know the super-krewes, because you should probably see their parade. But you should also know a few other krewes. For one, the Rex Krewe was one of the first krewes in Mardi

Gras. Its first parade was in 1872, and they're also known as the "King of Carnival." Every year, an admirable member of society is chosen as their king and is awarded that honor by the mayor of New Orleans. They also have a very prime spot on top of a float in the parade.

Rex is also responsible for the colors of Mardi Gras; they chose purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. Today, you'll see those colors everywhere. There are many other krewes as well. There are the Mardi Gras Indians with beaded costumes, you'll see the Krewe of Chewbacchus, which has 900

Members, and they're dressed up in anything sci-fi. So you'll see Star Wars characters, Star Trek characters, mad scientists, or maybe some notable people from comic books. And you can join in! The thing is, if you join the Krewe of Chewbacchus, then you can't use, "internal combustion engines to power floats." So you

Have to walk, you can go in a shopping cart down the street, you can ride a bicycle. Yeah. Just no combustion engines. Another Krewe worth noting is the Zulu Krewe, the first African-American Krewe. They help public schools, give scholarships and present those in need with gift baskets at Christmas.

But apart from their philanthropic work, they're most known for throwing hand-painted coconuts to the crowds watching their parade. These coconuts have become collectors items, and people in the crowd will fight you over one. So be aware! What's funny about this is that as a result of Zulu's

Coconut-throwing tradition, a law was signed in Louisiana that if you get injured by a coconut or any other Mardi Gras throw, you can't file a lawsuit. Speaking of throws, what are they? Ever since the early 1920s, krewes have thrown little trinkets to viewers of the parade.

A throw, or a trinket, is something small that doesn't cost very much, it's not really worth very much. One of the most popular trinkets is colorful plastic beads. In fact, at Mardi Gras, almost everyone has beads around their neck. Other types of trinkets include golden medallions, also known as "doubloons," which look like

Golden coins found in a treasure chest. One side of the coin will show the parades theme on it, while on the flip side, you can see the sign or emblem of that krewe. For many, it's a collector's item or a souvenir. While in the crowd, you might also catch a stuffed animal, a

Cup, or even snacks, like Cracker jacks, candy or a Moon Pie. Cracker Jacks, you should know: They are considered the first American junk food. It's popcorn, sweetened with molasses, and inside of the box, you'll find a little toy! What's a moon pie? Moon pies, you should also know.

A traditional moon pie is a pre-packaged dessert with two graham crackers, a marshmallow center, and a thin chocolate coating over the top. It's sort of a reverse s'more in a way, and they're very popular in the South. They're actually invented in Tennessee!

So you might catch a box of Cracker Jacks or a Moon Pie. You might get some colorful beads, little toys, maybe even a medallion. Or if you're lucky, you might snag a signature item that was handcrafted by the Krewe, like the coconut I mentioned before. Let me rewind for a second.

I said, "if you're lucky, you might snag a signature item." To snag is a great verb. It means to get something that everybody wants, or get something that's in high demand. Maybe you go shopping on Black Friday and you snag the last iPhone on the shelf.

Everybody wanted it, but you were quick, so you snagged it: You successfully got something that was in high demand. So if you're lucky, you might snag a signature item that was handcrafted by the Krewe. Once again, there were the coconuts. Or you might get lucky and catch glittery shoes, which are

Well known, glittery alligators, or painted magnets, or brooches made out of pecans. Krewe members make these on their own and they're very crafty! You mentioned parades, what's the deal with the balls? A ball is a big dance. Think of Disney movies: Cinderella goes to the ball and meets Prince Charming.

Unfortunately, many of the Mardi Gras balls are exclusive and invite-only. The Krewes' royalty of the year is there. Debutantes are introduced, so girls in high-society are introduced to the public; they're called debutantes. It's a big thing! But once again, it's exclusive. The good thing, though, is that Bacchus, one of the Krewes,

Started making balls public in the 1940s. So if you want to go to a ball, you just need to look for tickets in advance and be aware ! You're probably going to have to dress up, and I mean, black tie, coat tails, ball gown, sort of style.

What's one thing you have to try when you're at Mardi Gras in New Orleans? You've got to try a king cake. Kings cakes are a Mardi Gras tradition. According to Caludos, a famous bakery in New Orleans, the recipe originated in France and came to New Orleans in the 1870s.

A king cake is a circular, or ring-shaped pastry with cinnamon and sugar inside, and it has a lot of festive decoration on the top. It also has a religious element to it: Each king cake contains a Baby Jesus in it, a little plastic baby, representative of the Epiphany.

Whoever gets the plastic baby is not only considered king of the day, but they're tasked with bringing a king cake to the next event. Sounds like a good marketing strategy on their part. But yeah, something that you should definitely try. In my opinion, the best advice you can get when visiting a new

Place is advice from any local. I scoured the internet for local advice and here are three things you should be careful of. Number one, your fingers. According to some sites, some people really want the medallions, or doubloons, and if you see one flying in your

Direction from one of the floats, lots of people will literally hop onto it. One local's tip is always put your foot down on one of these medallions before you reach down to grab it because your fingers will get crushed. Number two, hurricanes. So hurricane season in Louisiana starts on June 1st and

Ends around November 30th, with the majority happening around August. Isn't Mardi Gras around February? Yes. So you can take a deep breath. Real hurricanes are no real threat to you if you go to Mardi Gras. But one of the most popular cocktails from New

Orleans is called a hurricane and it will destroy you, if you're not careful. It's highly alcoholic, so alcoholic, it might knock you off your feet. Common ingredients in a hurricane cocktail include one part white rum, one part dark rum, one part overproofed rum, passionfruit syrup and lemon juice.

It's served in a tall glass, but here's the thing: In New Orleans, you can drink alcohol outside if it's in a plastic cup or in a bottle. With that said, you can ask a waiter or waitress for a to-go cup or a go-cup, and then you can bring your cocktail out with

You on the streets. On a side note here, there are different laws about alcohol in different states. It's very rare to be able to walk around with alcohol in the open. Quite honestly, I've only seen it in an area of Savannah, Georgia, and New Orleans when I was there.

But yeah! Be careful you don't want to pay a fine while on vacation, so always ask a local before you pop open a bottle of beer or have a cocktail. You don't want to pay a fine. Right now, at least, you can bring your hurricane or your

Daiquiri to Bourbon Street, which is a lively street in the heart of the French Quarter. There, you can order cocktails directly from the street or even get a refill. If you've got a cup, they'll fill it up. Number three, be prepared!

Before you take a trip to New Orleans, be very aware of the date of Mardi Gras. It usually starts about two weeks before Fat Tuesday, before the actual Mardi Gras day, the day before Ash Wednesday. That changes each year. Since the date of Mardi Gras is tied to Easter and Easter's date

Changes each year, Mardi Gras can take place anywhere from February 3rd to March 9th. You might also be wondering what should you wear? If you're from Italy, perhaps you think of colorful masks worn at street parades during Carnival in Venice. Should you wear a mask to Mardi Gras in New Orleans?

You could. Lots of people wear sequined masks, or glittery masks with feathers, but anything goes! You can wear a colorful wig, a wild dress. You could dress up in a costume, such as a mermaid, a fish, or just regular clothes with the Mardi Gras colors, which are purple, gold and green.

Whatever you do, I guarantee you'll fit in. Typically, at that time of year, the temperature is between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit, which most people consider the ideal room temperature. But once again, it can also rain. So dress in layers and bring a backpack or a fanny pack to store your belongings.

A fanny pack is a smaller version of a backpack that you wear around your waist, but don't ever use that term in England. Fanny means something inappropriate in British English. The female body part down there. Anyway, it is a backpack that you wear around your waist.

Locals also recommend bringing cash because many places don't take card, especially if you're ordering from the street. And also pack tissues, so tissues that you would blow your nose in, and hand sanitizer. As with any big event, it can be hard to find a bathroom. There are porta-potties, which are small portable bathrooms,

But you guys know what those are, they don't smell good and there's never a guarantee that you'll have toilet paper or hand soap to wash yourself after you're done. Last but not least, bring a poncho in case of rain, sunscreen in case of sun and a good attitude because it can be

A lot of fun if you're in a good mood ! The last thing you should be aware of is this: With over 1 million visitors for Mardi Gras, inevitably, you'll need to deal with overcrowding and overtourism. So even though the French Quarter is lovely at all times

Of year - the gastronomy, the jazz music, the scenic strolls - at Mardi Gras, those streets are bustling. There's a lot of movement! People are so eager to get out of the pushing and shoving on ground level, especially on Bourbon Street, that they end up

Trying to snag a spot on one of the balconies above. That can cost up to $200 a spot. It's also where the news and media stand, so a lot of it is pre-booked. It's just very competitive. In English, we call an area that attracts a lot of tourists and

Very few locals, a tourist trap . During Mardi Gras, the stunning French Quarter is a tourist trap. If you go online, you'll often see images of Mardi Gras from Bourbon Street, where women are flashing their breasts to get beads, sometimes from people in the balconies above.

One local insists that this sort of behavior isn't everywhere, and it gives a bad impression of Mardi Gras overall. That local said, quote, "The Mardi Gras that locals grew up with, enjoyed and love is occurring in every other part of New Orleans and the surrounding suburbs."

"The large traditional Mardi Gras krewes who bring you the greatest free show on Earth, do not even parade through the quarter because there is a size restriction on floats in that area." So that's definitely something to be aware of. You can also check out the different krewes and the parade

Routes directly on the official Mardi Gras website, so that you're not disappointed with your experience. I'm a mother of two little girls, and when they were a little bit younger, I watched the animated movie The Frog Princess. I believe it's a Disney movie, and I was so

Surprised by how many cultural references were made in there about New Orleans. They talked about the beignets, the balls, the parades, New Orleans Voodoo, swamps and the alligators. I remember thinking, if I had never heard about the culture of New Orleans, I'd assume that the film was entirely fictional.

How do any of those things, any of those topics, the alligators and voodoo and balls and and French desserts go together? Well, they do. The Frog Princess, despite its fictional storyline, is historically and culturally sound in many ways. I recommend watching it if you haven't already.

In the summer of 2016, Lucas and I spent a week in New Orleans, and I'm not sure if I was aware of just how wonderful it is. I could do 20 episodes on what is happening in New Orleans. While I might not go for Mardi Gras in the near future.

It's one of those places I'll definitely return to! I hope you enjoyed that episode. I'm curious to know if any of you plan on going to Mardi Gras in the future, or if any of you have been to Mardi Gras before. Be sure to let me know on Instagram at americanenglishpodcast.

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You can find the link to that in the episode notes, or on the website at americanenglishpodcast.com. If you just want that material for Season 3, episodes 100 to 150, you'll also find the links there as well. Hope you're having a nice day, and until next time!

Bye. Thank you for listening to this episode of the American English Podcast. Remember, it's my goal here to not only help you improve your listening comprehension, but to show you how to speak like someone from the States. If you want to receive the full transcript for this episode or

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