I may have missed Mardi Gras, but what’s catching beads when one can experience the magnificent sights and sounds of who you may know as “Mardi Gras Indians,” but in New Orleans, we know them as Black Masking Indians. And I was among them and others celebrating St. Joseph’s Night under the Claiborne Bridge in New Orleans. Being amid these souls is an experience like no other. Words alone can not explain it. But, if I gave a comparison, it comes close to having a spiritual awaking, like when one is filled with the Holy Spirit!
Since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated by the beauty of it all, from the dazzling dancing and the bling of the bejeweled suits to the bigger-than-life headpiece with feathers like a peacock. I would watch in awe as the different tribes strutted down New Orleans’s streets as if they were a runway. The street fashion show would feature some of New Orleans’s raw, undiscovered hidden talent who deserves to be titled costume designers. These creative New Orleanians put on the most significant cultural fashion shows that the big shots cannot compete with. I can’t get enough of it, and I will have my day to slay the streets of New Orleans to pay homage to those who paved the way!!!
I had a phenomenal night! I learned so much, and then I went on a search to learn more about not only the culture of the Black Masking Indians but about our heritage period. I’m so intrigued by my people. I’m proud of them as well.
Dat NOLA Chic 