Category: Catholic New Orleans

Mardi Gras 2025 Tips and Tricks
Heading into the greatest free show on Earth on March 4, 2025, here are my updated tips and tricks for a safe and fun Carnival celebration this year.

Everywhere Else it’s just Another Tuesday

Mardi Gras Day 2018

If you have different mobility needs or just would like a place to sit, buy grandstands tickets on St. Charles Avenue. Visit Mardi Gras Tickets to get your tickets to Mardi Gras.

If you’re looking for your sober pals, there is a sober tent on Napoleon Avenue. You can find more information about the organization who hosts it here.

Download a parade tracker app. There are several options. Some track both the beginning and the end of the parades. They also include information about start times and which routes each parade takes. While the parades roll, it shows exactly where the it is on the route. It’s a valuable tool during the season to plan parking and travel routes.

Parking

Speaking of parking, you can use the Park Mobile app to find street parking and availability. The app will say no availability if it is outside of the pay times. Parking is paid in two hour increments, but is free on Mardi Gras day or after 7 pm in most places.

You will see signs on any parade route that say “No Parking Two Hours before and Two Hours after Parades.” This means parking is available most times, but not on parade days.

Parking information from the City of New Orleans

There will be public parking lots that charge by the hour or day available. Security will be different for this Mardi Gras, but there are always many road closures. My typical Mardi Gras parking experience is parking in a neighborhood and walking a long way to the French Quarter.

For public transportation options, including buses and streetcars, please download the Le Pass app. You can plan routes and get updates on route closures and alternate routes because of parades.

Throws You Need

According to Arthur Hardy, our tradition of throwing gifts from floats began with the Twelfth Night Revelers, one of whom decided to dress as Santa and throw trinkets in 1871. These are some that you can’t miss.

In 1959, the story goes, H. Alvin Sharpe walked into the office of Darwin S. Fenner, the captain of Rex, and threw a handful of his handmade aluminum coins in his face. He knew his doubloons would be a hit at Mardi Gras and he wanted to convince him they were safe with his display. He was an artist from Kentucky who had been in the Navy and settled in New Orleans. Fenner was convinced and the first 80,000 doubloons were produced the 1960 Mardi Gras a few months later. Sharpe was right. The doubloons are still a hit more than 60 years later. You can find some of those first doubloons for sale online for hundreds of dollars. But you can find modern ones thrown from nearly every parade float all season long.

Parade goers love the personally decorated shoes handed out by the Muses during their parade on the Thursday before Mardi Gras. Of course some outsource the labor, but many of the krewe members conceive and execute their own designs for the shoes, which are elaborately decorated actual women’s shoes recycled into art you will cherish forever. You are chosen to receive a shoe by a Muse during the parade. She personally hands it to you from the float. Many people create elaborate costumes and signs to increase the odds of being a chosen one. The ritual is a special Carnival experience with a permanent addition to your collection and a story you’ll never forget.

According to a 2024 article on WDSU, the Zulu coconut tradition began in 1910 when Lloyd Lucas purchased a sack of coconuts in the French Market because they could not afford beads for throws. The tradition eventually evolved to elaborately decorated coconuts, but was stopped in 1987 because of lawsuits.

In 1988 the so-called Coconut Bill exempted Carnival societies from “liability claims resulting from inadvertant coconut-caused injuries” allowing the krewes to shower the crowds with their precious throws without worry.

Must See Events

In order to prevent people from climbing up the poles that hold up the balconies on Bourbon Street, so the story goes, they started greasing the poles. The Royal Sonesta has turned this chore into an event, inviting local celebrities to perform the greasing each year on the Friday before Mardi Gras.

On Lundi Gras, or Fat Monday, the day before Mardi Gras, the courts of Zulu and Rex arrive at Spanish Plaza in a celebration, along with many other events and parades.

The first event of Mardi Gras day is the sunrise wake up call by the North Side Skull and Bones Gang, reminding us that it is later than you think, as they have been doing for more than two centuries.

St. Anne Society March began with the artists who created the floats for Rex in 1969. They decided to enjoy the fruits of their labor by walking to Canal Street. During the AIDS crisis, the tradition of putting the ashes of loved ones in the river formed and persists to this day. You will see a large group of elaborately costumed people walking together through the neighborhoods. Enjoy their creativity like any parade you may see!

Secret societies are the backbone of Mardi Gras, and secret parades and a parties will pop up all throughout the weeks leading to Mardi Gras. Many of these exist in the form of walking troupes, calling back to the origins of Mardi Gras, with secret routes that you will only know about if you piece together clues or happen to live along the route to see it go by. This is definitely one of my favorite Mardi Gras traditions, and such a treat to discover or, if you’re lucky, participate in.

Let me know your favorite Mardi Gras tips in the comments below. I hope to marvel at your costume out on the route!
Lea Pearl
The Tomb: Part I
There is a tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 that attracts attention on tours. On the map it is labeled Hebert, 30 Ste. Philomene Aisle¹. It is very near Florville Foy’s tomb, which I always visit on tours.

It is falling apart in a beautiful way and provides and opportunity to see inside the tomb. Visitors are often drawn to the dust we return to, sinfully curious about what they may see inside. I leave space for respectful observation. Although I have unfortunately witnessed a child, without reprimand, jump on the fallen marble. I have found a rosary left behind and broken wine glasses scattered around the tomb…remnants of rituals?

There are no first names on the broken marble, but there are several last names: Hebert, Martin, and Heilbron, along with a pedestal with the name Dreuil. On a recent tour, a guest asked if I knew the story. Since I didn’t, I’ve been trying to find it. The website for Catholic Cemeteries in New Orleans says that their burial search feature will be fixed November 2024, so I’ve been hoping to uncover more there².

In the meantime, here’s what I’ve learned about the Jesus Saves tomb. It is connected to two of the most prominent plantations in south Louisiana, Colombian dignitaries, and the newspaper printing industry in New Orleans. Most amazingly, the last burial seems to have occurred in 2015. What could cause so much destruction in less than a decade?

Hebert

Edna Hebert graduates from the Hebert Institute. The Times Picayune July 19, 1896.

Sanborn’s Insurance Maps, 1896, Courtesy of: Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries. Provenance: Howard-Tilton Library (Tulane University) The Historic New Orleans Collection

Edna Ellen Hebert Heilbron (1880-1931)³ is the lynchpin connecting the names. She was born in New Orleans. Her mother was Mary Ann Martin and her father was Dorville Hebert. Edna eventually married Oscar D. Heilbron.

Edna and her sister Alma attended the Hebert Institute on the corner of St. Peter and Burgundy streets. The principal, Miss H. Hebert, was Edna and Alma’s aunt Hortense. Hortense purchased the property at 701-703 Burgundy (old address 159 Burgundy) in 1884 from Emile Angaud, father-in-law to Berthe Camors. She sold it in 1905.

Hortense Hebert dies at 78. New Orleans Item, May 15, 1919, p. 7.

Victor Hebert (1838-1881), who was Edna’s uncle, was possibly a printer for newspapers in New Orleans. There were at least three people named Victor Hebert in New Orleans during this time, a bookseller, a drygoods seller, and a newspaper printer.

Victor-the-printer died in 1881. His wife Augusta was also a teacher at the Young Ladies’ Institute in 1893 with the same residential address as Victor, 356 St. Peter, and the same business address as Hortense, 159 Burgundy. She was also a teacher in 1890, 1895, 1901. This is the only connection I could find to link Victor Hebert, a printer of the New Orleans newspapers, to this Hebert family.

The Daily Picayune, Wed, Aug 24, 1881, Page 4

In the censuses, his occupation changes. In 1860, he was a painter. In 1870, he was a gardener while his son, August, was a printer. In 1880, he was a printer. However, Victor is listed in the directory as a journeyman printer in 1868. He is listed as a printer for newspapers (New Orleans Times and New Orleans Republican) in 1869-1879, that I’ve found so far. His obituary leaves his family and burial details a mystery but invites both the Hall of Orleans Steam Fire Engine Company No. 21 and the New Orleans Typographical Union No. 17 to his residence for his funeral. The only Victor Hebert buried in New Orleans, according to Find A Grave, was born in 1928 and died in 1977.

Edna’s niece Anna (her brother Alfred’s daughter) married Ernest Haydel, whose ancestors founded what is now the Whitney Plantation. His great great great great grandfather was Ambroise Haydel (Heidel).

Martin

Edna’s mother was Mary Ann Martin (1854-1904). Mary’s mother, Ellen McLaughlin (1838-1923), immigrated from Ireland.

Joseph Martin (1836-1917) arrived in New Orleans in 1838 from France, when he was two years old. He married Ellen McLaughlin in 1858. His father was Nicolas Martin and his mother was Maria (last name unknown).

Joseph was originally buried in Vault #1 of the family tomb. He was transfered from this tomb to the Resurrection Mausoleum Crypt 139, Tier D, Christ the Savior Patio. Resurrection Mausoleum was built in 1975, but the reason he was moved is unknown. Joseph’s Find A Grave⁴ entry led me to find the vault, which has the same three last names engraved. No other information is inscribed providing no further clues.

Edna’s grandparents outlived Edna’s mother Mary (who died at 50 years old) and her father Dorville (who died at 39 years old). Perhaps this is how Edna, the eldest daughter, became responsible for the burials.

In Part II, I’ll dive into the Colombia connection, the other plantation family, and what mysteries remain.

Sources

St. Louis Cemetery No. 3 Map https://files.ecatholic.com/16998/documents/2020/10/ST%20LOUIS%203%20SQUARE%201-6%20redone.jpg?t=1603750799000 ↩︎
New Orleans Catholic Cemeteries Burial Search. https://nolacatholiccemeteries.org/burial-search ↩︎
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/219644015/edna-ellen-heilbron ↩︎
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62770649/joseph-martin ↩︎
Lea Pearl
New Orleans Ghosts: The Beauty of Ancestor Worship
Many explanations of New Orleans Voodoo will start with ancestor worship. Ghosts and death and all the accoutrements surrounding ancestors are integral to the monotheistic religion that New Orleans is known for. The rituals around ancestor worship and interacting with ghosts work well with the rituals of Catholicism, like All Saints Day and All Souls Day, feasts celebrating all saints known and unknown and all the faithful departed. The overlapping rituals provide even deeper connections to the afterlife and a strong root in New Orleans.

The Daily Picayune, November 2, 1848, page 2

All Saints Day in New Orleans — Decorating the Tombs in One of the City Cemeteries, a wood engraving drawn by John Durkin and published in Harper’s Weekly, November 1885.
via Wikimedia.

The Night of the Pontalba, one of the ladies, a retired Catholic school teacher, told me about an experience she had with a psychic. We were waiting for one of the tour guests to finish a reading in Jackson Square. She asked if we were familiar with it. One of the guests said she does her own readings.

“Now, I am a devout Catholic. I believe. But one time, I had a reading done,” the teacher explained. “It was that lady from New York. My kids really believed in it, so we went to see her at a show. That lady told us things she couldn’t have known.”

Heidi chimed in reiterating the deep knowledge the psychic from New York inexplicably had.

“I asked my priest about it after, and he told me that we believe it’s the possession of the devil,” the teacher continued.

“Straight to confession!” I joked.

“I DID!” The teacher professed. “I went straight to confession before the end of that day, and I don’t mess with it anymore.”

This tracks with my experience with Catholicism also. I learned that Voodoo was devil worship or evil. Interacting with the spirits (that no one doubts exist) is certainly an invitation for demons and possession. However, I learned from people who practice the religion that there isn’t even a devil figure in the Voodoo tradition. The Catholic notion that it is devil worship is based on misconceptions. Ghosts, spirits, and ancestors are prominent in Voodoo, but the devil doesn’t exist.

The Ghosts of New Orleans

“You think you’ve never seen a ghost?” My teacher’s husband asked this one night in the Voodoo class that I took last summer. I’m a natural and trained skeptic, so I admitted that I never saw a ghost before. Although I do believe any weird sounds or moving objects in my home are definitely the ghost of my cat Salome, who died in 2021.

RIP Salome 2009-2021, but please don’t stop haunting me. She serves as my personal New Orleans ghost.

“You know those people you see in the Quarters walking by themselves and talking to themselves? Those are ghosts. They don’t all know they are dead,” he explained.

I thought he meant this figuratively. New Orleans can wring you out like Las Vegas, but it’s a different kind of vice. Finding yourself or losing yourself are equally likely in the Crescent City.

Shortly after that, I learned he meant it literally through experience. I saw such a man in the French Quarter one morning when I was also alone. I often go for a walk through the Old City alone in the early mornings for inspiration and because one of my favorite things in the whole world is the French Quarter in the morning.

Dressed in decorated rags and mumbling loudly to himself, I instinctively made sure there was no emergency and let him be. Then, I remembered the wisdom from class and turned to see the ghost again.

He was gone.

There wasn’t a block for him to have turned down. There wasn’t time to duck into a building. He was loudly talking to himself and then like the fog burned off by the morning sun — was he ever there?

Savvy marketers built the tourism industry in New Orleans on ghost stories, some with roots of truth, most entirely made up for marketing. Tour guides and servers and bartenders will tell you personal stories about ghosts that have visited them and then laugh behind your back at the gullible tourists. I’ve even seen other tourists get in on the act and provide life long memories for their comrades in New Orleans.

I don’t believe in gatekeeping information. I also can’t participate in spreading falsehoods that will certainly be warped and repeated without explaining that they aren’t true. However, I am still learning and understanding. Sometimes, I get things wrong.

There are earnest people living in New Orleans who believe the stories, but many are full of shit and know it. No matter how many times people admit to making up the ghost stories or people like me prove them wrong or the guests feel that twinge of disbelief, they still want to hear the ghost stories. And I’m sure some rush to confession after.

I still hold skepticism that my ghost disappeared in an entirely corporeal and logical way and not in a New Orleans or paranormal way. But I have no way to prove what I did or didn’t see. I wonder if I have ever been someone’s New Orleans ghosts on my early morning strolls.

Fewer and fewer people in New Orleans participate in All Saints Day on November 1, but newspaper archives share that this was a festive day with crowded cemeteries in the New Orleans of the past. “All the ceremonies passed off in the usual quiet manner, and we trust that many years will elapse before the interest now taken in its observance shall have died away,” 1848 article from The Daily Picayune. Sometimes the premonitions in the archives are calls to action.

Please tell me your brushes with the paranormal in the comments. Or, preferably, your rituals around ancestor worship. Most of my family’s tombs in New Orleans are regularly maintained, but there has never been a picnic in the cemetery during my lifetime…yet?
Lea Pearl