Take me to the River...
Take me to the River...
One of our favorite days of the year is Mardi Gras, and one of our favorite parades is the Krewe of St. Anne parade, which takes place on Mardi Gras day (this year was Tuesday, February 13). Unlike most parades, people think about when they think about Mardi Gras, which is why we like it so much.
The Krewe of St. Anne, also known as The Société of Sainte Anne, or just St. Anne, was founded in 1969 when walking krewes would walk through the French Quarter during Mardi Gras, but soon these Krewes were run out of the quarter and big “super krewes” replaced them pulling floats that were all lit up and pulled by tractors on streets like St. Charles, Canal, and Orleans Ave.
St. Anne has kept the tradition alive, and they do it in high style. If you want to see some of the most creative, beautiful, and sexy costumes of Carnival, then this is the parade to watch.
The Krewe of St. Anne doesn’t have a route. Some meet up at Bud Rips Bar in the Bywater, some meet up at Vaughn’s or Markey’s, and some meet up closer to the French Quarter at the R Bar in the Marigny. They all start to head to the Quarter, shooting for Royal Street, but they all take different routes. We like to be on Royal Street, near the Golden Lantern Bar, to see everyone converge into the Quarter. Once in the Quarter, they split up again; some go north, some go all the way to Canal Street to see Rex, and some head to the river.
This blog is about those who head to the river
In the 80s, during the AIDS epidemic, many people who marched in St. Ann were dying, and some of their friends decided that they would deviate from going to see Rex and they would head to the river to spread the ashes of their friends, family, and loved ones who passed away the previous year.
It is now a Mardi Gras tradition to form a “first line” before spreading the ashes and then creating a “second line” as they come up from the river and go back to celebrating Mardi Gras. A first line is a somber march, usually with a brass band playing songs like “Nearer My God to Thee” or “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” with the main family and friends of the person who passed.
It’s a very emotional time and when the bands stop playing, it is silent, except for some people crying and singing softly.
Then the mood changes, and the band will play a more lively version of “When the Saints Go Marching In” or “Didn't He Ramble" (probably the most classic upbeat song to play after saying goodbye in a New Orleans funeral.) The solemn ceremony turns into a celebration for the person who passed and gives the family and friends a chance to remember the good times and good memories.
In 4 years, I (Bob) went down to the river four times in a row, saying goodbye to some really good friends in the traditional way we do it in New Orleans. It is not an experience I want to go through again; after all, it means losing a good friend, but as we get older, it will become a more and more familiar right of passage.
One day I will be brought down to the river, it is my destiny. And I will float down the mighty Mississippi towards the Caribbean Sea. My friends will dance and sing and return to celebrating Mardi Gras, and that’s exactly what I want when I finally leave this earth.
This is part of an ongoing series of Mardi Gras and New Orleans traditions that we post for our attendees to understand this magical city we call home.