He was in New Orleans at the time, but if he were to come to the Mississippi Coast today, he'd be just as startled. With our close ties to New Orleans, we celebrate Carnival with as much enthusiasm. Dozens of balls, a parade in just about every city, king cakes and tons of parade trinkets rain down during the long season, which begins on Jan. 6 and continues through Fat Sunday. Their reward is a proliferation of trinkets, from colorful cups and necklaces to candy and aluminum doubloons. Although Mardi Gras is rooted in a Catholic holiday, it is celebrated here by all.
Schools get out for the day and many businesses close down.
With all the ethnic influences on the Coast, you're bound to come across words that look, well, foreign. Or they don't sound like they look like they should sound. To help you along, here's a sampling of some of the words that might not sound the way they look. The Sun Herald.