The Three Kings arrive today. We will eat a cake reminiscent of rosca de Reyes, although the Louisiana King Cakes are not exactly the same. As a child I ate rosca de Reyes in Madrid, where the Three Kings rode through the city on camels. Now the cabalgata de Reyes is much more multicultural than it was then. This year’s festivities, for instance, included the Chinese dance performance “Thousand Hand Bodhisattva.” As always, though, the parade culminated at the Plaza de Cibeles, which contains my favorite fountain of all time: a large sculpture of Kybele riding on a lion-drawn chariot.
In Louisiana, the arrival of the Three Kings marks the beginning of carnival time, and it I am thinking that the cabalgata de Reyes is actually, or is at least very like a Mardi Gras parade. Therefore, although I am at work, and I am less than inspired, we will still sing.
The best Mardi Gras film is, of course, Les Blank’s Always for Pleasure, and my favorite Mardi Gras characters are the Indians. The famous carnival song Iko Iko is an Indian chant, and it uses Indian talk. “Look at my Queen all dressed in red / Iko iko ah day / Bet you five dollars she’ll kill you dead / Chokimo feena nay.”
Axé.
coldhearted scientist وداد 
Who can possibly be inspired by work? However, I am inspired by the whistling Prof Longhair :o)
I love that song Iko Iko…Now I finally know what they’re saying! Thanks.
This post, and the last, have been like fond memories whispering to me.
I’ve celebrated Los Reyes ever since living in southern Mexico, and have taught my partner to put his shoes out also.
We don’t put up stockings so that we can share in the delight of the Kings’ visit.
we had a ‘galette de roi’ which is always eaten on 6 january in this country. one of my daughters was the ‘queen’ though, as she had the ‘fève’ in her piece of cake.
Hi everyone and happy Carnival! And yes, Charlie, the PL whistle is the thing, and especially relevant are these imperfectly quoted lines: “Well I’m going to New Orleans / got my suitcase in my hand / I’m going to New Orleans / going to see the Mardi Gras. / When I get to New Orleans / down by Rampart and Dumaine / when I get to New Orleans / I’m going to see that Zulu Queen.”
Work, uninspiring by definition, that’s helpful. I always think I ought to be inspired or in love with work, and in fact I would RATHER be, but it is helpful to remember that it is not REQUIRED.
I’m dancing, I’m dancing, in my commie socks! Thanks for the music.
Hi Professor,
Thanks for the comment re: the site… I am extremely new to writing websites and have much to learn and I really appreciate you pointing out there might be translation problems – if you have a second… can you tell me what looks funky? Would help me. I’ll be flying tomorrow but when I get to Glasgow will be anxious to finish the website and to make it look at good/professional as I can… so thanks for the input…
Amy
Hi Amy and bon voyage!!! I’ll answer on your blog too but it’s some of the punctuation marks, in Firefox for XP they’re replaced by question marks inside diamonds. I’m not a big web design expert either, but I do some. If you’ve written it in an editor, you then want to sweep through the code. Best to you–Z
I’ve never been to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. I really wish that I had a chance to go before Katrina. It seems like it won’t be the same?
nice post…the closest i got the this kind of celebration was in brazil….
all i can say – at least people are happy and celebrating something!
Hi Stephen and Azgoddess … these were my posts last year, on the first post-K Mardi Gras, which was fantastic:
http://profacero.blogspot.com/2006/02/hey-pocky-way.html
http://profacero.blogspot.com/2006/02/lundi-gras.html
http://profacero.blogspot.com/2006/02/demander-la-charit.html
http://profacero.blogspot.com/2006/02/cinza-das-horas.html
A big issue is lack of New Orleans Indians, since many have not been able to move back. But there were apparently some (I didn’t find any, but I did see them in Lafayette, where I had never seen any before.)
N.O. Mardi Gras, you have to know what you are doing to avoid the touristy parts and make the true best of it — avoid Bourbon Street and some parts of St. Charles Avenue on Mardi Gras Day in favor of Treme, Vieux Carre, and Faubourg Marigny. That way you can be in a crowd of locals, not Florida frat boys or something obnoxious.
Also, there are many parades in the weeks leading up to Mardi Gras day, and I like the atmosphere around some of these better … especially the night parades. My FAVORITE thing is to be sitting at home during the season, not doing anything carnival-related, and suddenly hear a tambourine and drum in the distance, getting louder … amid shouts of ELA HEY! It is…Indians coming! (The Indians do not go on official, pre-announced parade routes,
but march randomly through the barrios, populated by those without money to do fancy Mardi Gras.)
Then there is country Mardi Gras, which is QUITE entertaining, too.