It’s Carnival Time . . .
Posted: January 29, 2013 Filed under: Things I Like | Tags: Golden Retriever, Harper Lee, Mardi Gras, Thek9harperlee 21 Comments. . . and everybody’s havin’ fun! If you don’t live in South Louisiana, that line may not ring a bell for you. It’s from a popular Mardi Gras tune called Carnival Time. (You can click here to enjoy a performance of Carnival Time by the great Al Johnson.) Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” and, technically, it’s the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. But where I live, Mardi Gras is one big non-stop party that begins on the evening of Epiphany (January 6) and lasts until midnight on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It’s when humans “pass a good time” (that’s South Louisiana speak for “have fun”). They eat what they want; they drink what they want; they act however they want . . . basically they behave like dogs who have not had any obedience training. All of that revelry is in preparation for Lent, when they have to straighten up and start behaving.
Decorations are a big part of Mardi Gras. When most of the world is packing away Christmas decorations and preparing for the bleakest, dullest part of winter, humans in South Louisiana are decorating for Mardi Gras. My human mommy loves to decorate for carnival season. This year, she even decorated me with some of the biggest, gaudiest beads she could find. You see, beads are very important to humans during Mardi Gras. Humans will do anything–and I do mean anything–to get these tacky beads that they could go to the store and buy for pennies. Then, after Mardi Gras when they have pounds and pounds and pounds of those beads that they just had to have, they can’t figure out what to do with the silly things. Sometimes humans are just plain crazy.
This year’s Mardi Gras decorations even include a lovely “chandelier” above my outside water bowl. At first, I was a little freaked out by it, but now I think it’s kind of nice. Uh oh . . . looks like my mommy’s love of Mardi Gras decorations is wearing off on me. Humans are very kind to remember that dogs also like to “pass a good time” during carnival season. They plan pet parades for us. They dress us up in all kinds of costumes, and then march us up and down streets so other dogs and humans can look at us. The pet parades are lots and lots of fun, and a little more tame than some of the human festivities.
I think my favorite Mardi Gras decoration is my friend Blitzen. During Christmas, he’s Blitzen the Christmas Reindeer in my back yard. But for carnival season, he becomes Blitzen aka Mr. Mardi Gras. He has a mask and a fancy bow, and he wears Mardi Gras beads in the traditional colors–purple, gold, and green. I think he’s stunning. Uh oh . . . there’s my mommy wearing off on me again. This year, Mardi Gras falls on February 12. That’s a little early, which doesn’t make the humans too happy. Naturally, they would like for the revelry to go on for as long as possible. But, until then, I hope that wherever you are you manage to “pass a good time” because it’s carnival time, and everybody’s havin’ fun. Happy Mardi Gras!
Your human is really cool ( if a bit nuts if you don’t mind me saying). But when will we ever understand the strange creatures?
The humans can be odd, but we love them unconditionally. That’s what makes us pups so special.
Happy Mardi Gras. Interesting. I didn’t know what it meant. Well, see how much you can learn from blogging 🙂
You look just too gorgeous for words in your beads. Surely the humans keep them for the next year, or is that just “not done”?
Now that you know about Mardi Gras, you’ll have to celebrate. My humans do save the beads from year to year. They have a huge and very heavy tub for storing them. They even have “favorite” and “good” beads. Strange.
I hang Mardi Gras beads on my Christmas tree. So glad, ya’ll are having fun.
What a festive Christmas tree that must be. My human mommy knew someone who kept his Christmas tree (a real one) up through Christmas and then decorated it for Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day before throwing it out. Imagine how surprised the trash men were when they saw a Christmas tree on the curb in March!
Lucky you – looks like quite the time!!
It is great fun!
Party Hearty, Miss Harper Lee – The Red Man is a Mardi Gras wannabe partier but the old woman Slow brings him DOWN…Passing time…oh yearh.
Sorry about that Red Man. Guess I’ll just have to party for the two of us.
Miss Lee – I love your MG beads but have to question if you had to show your **** to get such finery?!
I just smiled. . . .
Reblogged this on thek9harperlee and commented:
Is it tacky to reblog your own post, especially when it was just posted a few weeks ago? Sorry, I just can’t control myself. Listening to WWL radio from New Orleans (yes, dogs do listen to the radio) and their coverage of the Zulu and Rex parades, and I am just SO into it! Hope everyone is having a great Mardi Gras!
I read it again and enjoyed it as much as the first time. Zoe would have liked Carnival and she would’ve shown whatever was necessary to get her beads. I have a picture of her where I was trying to hang the beads on her one Christmas.
Zoe sounds like she was a very fun girl. I wish I could have spent a Mardi Gras afternoon with her in the French Quarter. I have a feeling we would have collected quite a few beads!
Tucker and I are with you in spirit!! Enjoy!
You would love it!
Happy Mardi-Gras. Luv the mask. I also decorate a tree for Mardi-Gras. I do a combination Mardi-Gras/Valentines tree since they are so close together. I will have to take some pics and post before I take it down and start decorating for St. Patricks and Easter.
Please do take some pictures and post so that I can see your tree. Happy early Valentine’s Day!
Haha! I wore my beads, but you had the real deal for a mask!
Thanks to my daddy who had to hold it in front of me!