Things are heating up! There are parades every night, some enormous and well-executed, some impromptu. Excitement is in the air, there is music on every breeze and everything sparkles and lights up. It’s hard to pace oneself and “pick your battles” but a smart girl does if she hopes to have enough stamina to make it through Fat Tuesday.
My very favorite parade, largely because of their fabulous throws, is the Krewe of Muses which always rolls on the Thursday before Mardi Gras. This is an all-girl Krewe founded in 2001 whose claim to fame is the throwing of gorgeously decorated (and highly coveted) high heeled shoes. Over the years, they’ve added many clever throws like the sought-after shoe bracelet that comes in a different color every year. There is always much excitement and anticipation as to the bracelet’s color which is kept secret until the first one is thrown. I have them dating back to about 2004 in a rainbow of shades. This year’s is blue.
To the people of New Orleans, they are street names, often mispronounced. In Greek mythology the nine Muses were the daughters of Zeus. First parading in 2001, the Muses organization now has over 1000 riding members and was the first all-female organization to parade at night in Uptown New Orleans. The Krewe of Muses’ vision is to tap into and recognize the local artistic and cultural resources of the community and incorporate them into a Muses Mardi Gras tradition, making the entire community a part of the Krewe of Muses parade. We celebrate their wildness before they were tamed, their virtues after they were appointed, and their place in the mystique of New Orleans, where each virtue seems to thrive
Miss Laura managed to catch not one but two shoes this year!
As you can imagine, not much knitting is taking place; we’re busy sewing. My costume is finally finished. I am “Baked Alaska” in keeping with this year’s theme “The Krewe of WooHoo Gets Its Just Desserts”. This is as much as I can show until the big day 🙂
See you after the dust settles!
