Written by Alexandra McClain
Every year, people around the world celebrate the Carnival season. In New Orleans, Mardi Gras season usually reigns supreme for the three days before Fat Tuesday.
This year, Mardi Gras had to share its glory. With the New Orleans Saints winning their first Super Bowl in franchise history, this Mardi Gras season was jokingly called “Lombardi Gras” for the Vince Lombardi trophy awarded to Super Bowl winners.
“We’ve been Saints fans our whole lives,” one parade spectator said. “We can finally be proud of it.”
Click on the slideshow above to see photos of Harding students at Mardi Gras 2010.
And proud they were. Many Mardi Gras attendees decided to forego the typical purple, green and gold in favor of the Saints’ black and gold. Cries of “who dat” still rang through the streets a week removed from the Super Bowl XLIV victory.
Signs begging parade participants to “throw dat” from the floats were scattered through the crowds. One group dubbed themselves the “Krewe de Brees,” a play on the Mardi Gras parades, also known as krewes, and the Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees.
Brees was honored with the title of grand master of the oldest Superkrewe, Krewe de Bacchus. The Lombardi Trophy made an appearance at “Lombardi Gras” on the float of Krewe de Endymion grand master, Saints owner Tom Benson.
One Louisiana native told me this year was the most exciting Mardi Gras season ever. She said she has been attending Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans since she was very young but 2010 was different.
“This year was insane. Mardi Gras always has an intense atmosphere but the Saints’ win made it all the more exciting.”
