New Orleans is known for its strong French influence, whether that refers to the architecture of its city, its delicious beignets, or the Creole dialect, French’s cousin language.
One of the most famously French aspects of life in New Orleans is Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday,” the day preceding Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent in the Catholic calendar. But Mardi Gras in New Orleans isn’t just a day; it’s a season. And after a long month of fasting and keeping away from indulgences comes Easter, when once again New Orleans devolves into decadence and festivities.
Watch the yearly Easter parade through New Orleans’s historic Vieux Carré, where towering bonnets and mule-drawn carriages take the stage, with paraders throwing eggs and stuffed bunnies to children as they pass. You can almost hear them saying, “Joyeuse Pâques!”
