As many of y’all know, next Tuesday is Mardi Gras in parts of the Gulf South in general and in New Orleans in particular. Literal translation of Mardi Gras is, of course, “Fat Tuesday”. No news there.
Today, the Tuesday the week before Mardi Gras, is the day New Orleans’ “Who Dats*” host our Saints’ Super Bowl Victory parade. The Super Bowl winner is awarded the Lombardi Tropy, named for legendary coach Vince Lombardi. So, being the fun-loving place we are, this Tuesday has been christened “Lombardi Gras” and also “Dat Tuesday” to mark the special day.
You don’t have to be in New Orleans to celebrate Lombardi Gras, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, or Dat Tuesday, though. Just find something that makes you happy and celebrate it!
*Some form of “Who dat” has been in the “yat” slang/dialect of New Orleans for over 100 years. It’s from an overly literal translation by Creoles and Cajuns of the French “Who is that who” which was shortened to “Who dat” over time. Used to cheer on high school teams and Southern University teams in the 1960s, “Who Dat” spilled over to the Saints in the 1980s.
Enjoy your day!!!
I will be down in April (for my 14th consecutive Jazzfest), and will just have to live vicariously thru my krewe until then, but I have some tasty beverages chilling, and tonight will be toasting the Saints, and more importantly, the indomitable spirit of the good people of New Orleans…
God Bless New Orleans!!!
Matthew
That’s the spirit, Matthew!
Crowd estimates for the parade start at 800,000. There are 1.1 million residents in New Orleans and surrounding areas. Made for interesting traffic to and from at least.
I went with 3/4 of our kids (youngest and Mrs. Ivorybill did not want to test the chaos) and we lucked out in terms of getting to and from the parade and getting a good spot at the very start. Saw everything before it got too dark and got home and got to watch it on TV.
No major incidents reported. Everyone we saw was having a great time, especially the players. Great parade, great day. Glad we went.
Wish I could have been there. Folks that are not from that part of the world really can’t appreciate what this means to the whole area, not just New Orleans. We may never win another one, but at least we got one. Finally. After 43 years of hope, dreams and heartache.
Wish you’d been here too. It was just so much fun watching the players having so much fun. In particular, the defensive backs - - riding on a pirate ship float lent by Krewe of Tucks - - were in the spirit. The parade stopped mid-route for a while and they all got out of the float, danced with the high school marching band in front of them, and signed autographs until time to roll again.
With regards to the floats, all were tailored to the skills set of the players riding them. Brees and the O-line were on Bacchus’ king float; receivers were on Rex’s jester float; D-line on Endymion’s alligator; D-backs (famed for their take-aways) on Tucks’ pirate ship; kickers on the Muses’ shoe; Coach Payton on Orpheus’ Smoking Mary Train. Seeing who was riding what was one big part of the fun.
Sounds great—Tucks was always one of my favorite parades to watch roll, they always threw cool swag…
Good to hear that everyone is celebrating safely—New Orleans both deserves and needed this!!!
I fly down for Jazzfest in a couple of months (this will be my 14th consecutive Fest) and I am already counting the days.
