Thor Parade

Last might we went to a Mardi Gras parade in my parish (not in new Orleans itself). There are fewer night parades here since Hurricane Katrina, as the storm also killed some of the parades as well as the homes here. So this one, the Krewe of Thor, is one of the few weeknight suburban parades left.
It was coldddddddddddd. The temperature was 4C when the parade started and there was a 20 knot wind, making it too cold for many of the normal spectators. I think about 3/4 of them were at home in front of the heater. No matter to Jane her friend and I, as we had plenty of opportunities to see it better and to catch more throws than we usually do when there are normal sized crowds watching. I always bring to aluminum folding chairs, and for the parade last night I wore sweat pants underneath my athletic pants, my scarf, a pair of gloves, and a think shirt and hooded jacket . I was comfy, enjoying the cold weather and the floats. Thor's theme for the parade was "The Circus" with 18 floats depicting various aspects of a circus.
Mardi Gras parades are mostly named after mythological Gods and Goddesses (more Greek and Roman than any other) and for neighborhoods or sections of the city of New Orleans. But there are many other inspirations for their names. One named itself NOMTOC, ana acronym for - New Orleans Most Talked Of Club. Its an ambitious name, given that the krewe is a minor one and it's parade considered to be one of the least interesting.
Some people here are so excited about catching throws they do not look closely at the floats on which the maskers are throwing to them. But I think one of the best parts of a Mardi Gras parade is the float, it's design and the degree to which it cleverly fits into the parade theme. These parades are quite creative and in many ways a form of "art on wheels".
Too, it is one small reason why living in a ruined city has some benefits to it. While you and the rest of the world had a normal day yesterday, we had another day of Mardi Gras- the world's greatest free show.