I admit I am no expert on the holiday of Mardi Gras. While the traditions are very complex and varied, it is essentially a Catholic holiday were people party and celebrate excess before the killjoy season of Lent begins.
In the United States Mardi Gras is synonymous with the city of New Orleans, which is one of my favorite cities in the entire world. Although, it is a dream of mine to partake in the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration, I know it will most likely never happen. My body is just not in the physical condition to deal with that level of celebration and crowding. People will camp out days in advance to see the parades. The drinking is enough to kill a pirate. It sounds like fun, but more than this little Carpetbagger can handle.
But this does not mean then I can never enjoy a Mardi Gras parade here in my home state of North Carolina. Asheville, NC hosts a yearly Mardi Gras celebration. Now, this seems like an odd place for a Mardi Gras celebration. Asheville is firmly planted in the bible belt, with a very small Catholic population, but anyone who knows Asheville knows that it is not your typical Southern City. There is nothing people in Asheville enjoy more than dressing up weird. So, in some ways it makes it the perfect city to host a Mardi Gras parade.
Oddly enough the parade organizers declared that this Mardi Gras Celebration, unlike New Orlean's version, would include no nudity or alcohol. This is odd considering for four years Asheville was voted "Beer City" for four years in a row, plus the fact that it is the location of yearly Topless Rallies (organized by a UFO cult).
That said, Asheville put on a purely enjoyable Mardi Gras Parade. The highlight for me was when this gentleman was able to play ring toss with my skull and sunk a set of beads over my head without me even noticing.
Other highlights include lots of Trannys.....
There is something heart warming about Trannies handing out candy to little kids....
And there was an Anti-GMO group with their mascot the giant "Fishy Sugar Beet"
I guess their message is that if we eat GMOs we are eating horrifying half vegetable-half fish abominations.....but I don't know, I think the guy is just to damn cute to scare me....
He kind reminds me of Yumion, the Vidalia Onion.
Of course the parade is a truly visual experience, I'll stop yapping. Let's take a look.
Happy Mardi Gras everyone.....
The Carpetbagger
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