Choi Mardi Gras

The word ‘carnival’ generally carries a positive vibe, and the people of New Orleans has indeed proved to the world that Mardi Gras is an occasion of joyful celebration where everyone gets to shed their worries off and enjoy the present.

I went to the uptown parades this Mardi Gras and sure enough, I had the greatest time with my dearest friends. Having no carnival or parade experience at all, I did my best to get the most out of the first carnival of my life, screaming like a mad man in front of floats for beads. That was quite the enjoyable experience to say the least, but the happiness I felt from acquiring the beads was only skin-deep.

I think the true soul of Mardi Gras lies within the heartfelt happiness and the positive energy that everyone carries and willingly shares. Such flow of energy within the crowd enables strangers to become friends, creating the ultimate carnival experience. The affection and friendliness of New Orleans can be deeply felt from the smallest things. For example, a lady gave me beads when I didn’t get anything from one of the floats, and I jumped on to the edge of one of the float-towing trucks and sparked up a conversation with the driver, who was nothing but friendly despite my rather blatant behavior. Any city in the world can create flamboyant, eye-catching floats, but no other city can recreate the kind of honest energy that New Orleans carries.

On the other hand, we always have to keep in mind that New Orleans is a beast. It can either treat you very well, or bring you down hard and fast if you don’t look out for yourself. One night I was at a bar called One Eyes Jacks, located half a block away from Bourbon, checking some music out. At the very same time, 4 people got shot in Bourbon, which I was totally oblivious to. One other potentially dark aspect of carnival is its abundance of freedom. A lot of people that I’ve talked to over Mardi Gras shared one common feeling – that they are allowed to do whatever they want to do. Such excessive freedom can be detrimental to some people, as their moral boundaries may temporarily be blurred, making them do things they normally wouldn’t do. Although freedom can be an excellent way to enjoy carnivals, there is a need for people to constantly re-evaluate and check if they are crossing their own moral, ethical boundaries.

And Bob Dylan is right!

Overall, my first Mardi Gras experience has been a very positive one, but I’ve also realized that things can go down if you don’t have control over what you are doing. There is a fine line between having a lot of fun and having way too much fun, and unpleasant things can happen if we don’t have a good concept of where that line is. Will I join Mardi Gras again next year? Yes, most definitely. It’s so much fun!