Events - Part 3

Mardi Gras

Today is Mardi Gras.  Historically, Mardi Gras had its origins when religious Catholics, facing the fasting and abstinence of Lent, decided to throw a huge festival before Lent begins, drinking, partying, and throwing morality out the window.  Because they were so religious.

In the U.S., Mardi Gras is synonymous with New Orleans. The New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration involves parades with elaborate floats, dressing up in costumes, and formal balls. But another tradition has developed.

People crowd the ubiquitous cast-iron balconies of the French Quarter, especially on Bourbon Street, with a supply of beaded necklaces.

Down on the street, the tradition, engaged in mostly by tourists, is that girls flash their boobs and guys flash their dicks for the reward of beads thrown down from above.  This isn't necessarily a gay thing – most guys are flashing the girls in the balconies – but of course there are some men in the balconies who would be happy to reward this guy.

The flasher then catches the beads.

This guy seems to be ignoring the falling beads.  Perhaps he has embraced another Mardi Gras "tradition" of drinking to excess.

You can tell how many times a guy has flashed by how many beads he's wearing.

This must be a flashing virgin.  I'm sure he won't be a virgin for long.

Sometimes the people in the balconies get carried away by the excitement and do their own flashing.

There's another New Orleans event, Southern Decadence, that is predominantly gay and that also features flashing and beads.  It's held on Labor Day weekend.  Don't worry, we'll get to it later.