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Louisiana’s culture manifests itself exquisitely during Mardi Gras. Traditions associated with the celebration of worldly delights initiate the cycle of sacrifice and transcendence. This cycle affects all economic and ethnic groups in Louisiana culture. It embraces the traditions of the handicrafts that have been passed down through generations and the storytelling which has always been integral to keeping these traditions alive. It is joyful and fanciful, a living work of art on parade that expresses the spiritual roots of community: the quilting bee becomes the beading circle; video and digital media document the stories surrounding the celebrations of the past and plans for the future; events throughout the year encourage relationships and networks to address the concerns of the community, fulfilling the role that women traditionally provided as keepers of the culture; a collective of women becomes the Divine Protectors of Endangered Pleasures, and an endless rejuvenation of timeless themes finds new, flamboyant expression in DIVAs and their consorts, the Elvi.
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“… there is no suppressing Mardi Gras. You can’t legislate that it will not happen, any more than you can rule that people will not feel or speak freely, or that an artist may not take brush to canvas, or that a writer not take pen to paper, or that a bunch of women (and men) not take thread to needle, sequin to cloth, hot glue to beads and outrageousness to its ultimate level”……..Judith Haspel, MSW, LCSW.
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