Voodoo Dolls, King Cakes and Mardi Gras News

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As we inch our way closer to the weekend, thoughts of love, chocolate, and gifts wrapped in red ribbon abound. Valentines is right around the corner, a chance to celebrate the mushy stuff, and as much as I'd just love to write all about cutie cupid with his adorable little buns ontop of fluffy white cloud, that's not this article.

Instead, this article is about voodoo dolls, king cake, and the "other" February holiday, Mardi Gras.

Weeks before and two days after Valentine's, Louisiana is normally set afire with carnivals, parades, booze, beads, and revelry... like no other state in the nation.

Except for last year. Sigh, and this year too.

Sure, the mayor of La, Mayor LaToya Cantrell, claimed " Mardi Gras will go on this year." But then she added, "It is going to look different.'

And by looking different, she meant no parades, carnivals, and no big parties.

All thanks to COVID.

Mardi Gras, which is French for 'Fat Tuesday' reflects the practice of the "last night" of eating rich, fatty foods before fasting during the Lenten season. Fat Tuesday is next week on February 16th.

This year I'd like to go off the grid and maybe even off my rocker by offering that perhaps, JUST PERHAPS, this might be the year to dig a little deeper into one of New Orleans's oldest traditions and create a voodoo doll.

Hear me out. I think we should make them to ward off COVID, ONLY.  Here is an awesome tutorial on how to make a voodoo doll from Red Ted Art.

Since we can't celebrate Mardi Gras like we are used to doing, we can create voodoo dolls to ward off COVID for next year ( please no COVID next year) and we can make a traditional King Cake which you can try here from Southern Living. 

King Cakes are normally shaped in ovals to symbolize unity of faiths with a plastic baby representing Jesus baked inside. There are many versions of traditions when cutting a King Cake but normally if you receive the slice of cake with the baby inside of it, you make the cake next year.

And next year, if you've made your voodoo doll and joined my mission to send COVID back to hello, where it came from, we can say, " See you in NOLA 2022!

At least in keeping with one of Mardi Gras most famous slogans, "Let the good times roll,' Mardi Gras already has their official calendar set for 2022. Here it is.

'Lagniappe.'