Tuesday was Mardi Gras, and I spent part of the day in the French Quarter taking pictures. You can see them here. Perhaps in a show of post-Katrina civic pride, revellers in the Quarter wore more traditional masks and costumes than I can ever remember seeing. Many of the costumes were quite beautiful, and I have included some of my best pictures in the gallery.
Mardi Gras above all is a time of satire, a time for the common folk to make fun of people in high places. There were a few FEMA-themed costumes, a few George W. Bushes, but for the most part the humor was much more playful and good-spirited than last year, with less Katrina bitterness. I was very glad to see that.
Some highlights: A man dressed as George Bush with a Grim Reaper mannequin strapped to his back. The Grim Reaper had a fishing pole, and dangling from the end of the pole was a can of oil. In other words, the Grim Reaper was riding GW Bush's back, baiting him with oil.
Another good one: A man in an excellent Napoleon costume carried a sign offering to buy Louisiana back from the Bushes.
And finally: A man dressed as Rep. William Jefferson, the Louisiana politician currently under investigation after $80,000 in bribe money was found in his freezer. The faux Jefferson, wearing a striped prisoner's uniform, was wandering the Quarter banquettes handing out fake $100 bills with Jefferson's face on it. He walked right past me on Royal Street and handed a wad of the counterfeit money to a cop.
C'etait un bon Mardi Gras!