Two Saints annually visit the city after Mardi Gras

Lenten penance is quickly replaced with the green of the two famous saints of the uptown crowd: St. Patrick and St. Joseph.  We have barely removed all of the tri-colors of Mardi Gras when we replace them with the tri-colors of the Irish and the Italians.

Purple, green, and gold is boxed for next year and rests among the many street treasures collected from float riders and marchers, when we bring out the red, white, and green of the Italians and the green, white and orange of the Irish.

Bobby hung up my Italian flag the Thursday after Ash Wednesday. My Italian neighbor, with an Irish wife, hung out the orange, white, and green.

Does this create rivalry? Of course not! There are separate parades for these groups and one ecumenical group that combines both. If you get to the Irish parade you may return with a bag of cabbage, onions, potatoes, and carrots.  I remember carrying home a 5 lb. sack of cabbage from one March event. Now I like cabbage, but not that much!

The Italians march through the French Quarter tossing out special doubloons, necklaces and panties.
The Irish do the came, but they add the more practical editable items.

Tomorrow we will be viewing the St. Joseph day altars around the city. The Sicilian's honor and appreciate the Saint associated with saving them from many natural disasters and starvation.

The altar pictured below is one of the largest that I have ever seen. It is on the West Bank of our city in an old St. Joseph's Parish cafeteria. We of Sicilian ancestry MUST collect a fava bean to keep in our purses or pockets to insure that we are never without money. I have one from last year, and it works!

Come and join us for yet another festival.

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