Record For Costumes

They had 17,000 New Orleans saints football fans fully dressed in all sorts of Halloween costumes on Halloween night for the Saints versus Steelers NFL game. The 17,000 costumed out of the 70,000 in attendance for the game supposedly set the Guinness Book of World Records record for the most costumed people at a single Halloween event. I wonder how they counted to reach that total? But it's typical of the idiosyncrasy of New Orleans and one thing I miss about leaving the city.

Though I wasn't there to see the costumed residents (and their beer) I have been reading quite a bit about it. The costumes were weird, but not Mardi Gras weird, which brings out creative ideas one would think impossible. There were those Halloween dressed whose talents in dead-person makeup and papier mache brought the spirit of Halloween to life, the usual store bought costumes (though New Orleanians usually prefer to make odd costumes), the skin showing "little clothed costumes" and more.The Saints won the game, so many of the costumes spilled out into the late night.

French Quarter air to frolic in celebration and to search for still more beer. Reports are the Quarter looked like a mini Mardi Gras. Oh, how I will miss this year's two week long Mardi Gras activities and Mardi Gras day. It's my first time ever not being at Mardi Gras. Portland is great, but no place is like New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Seeing some of the costumes the football fans wore that night reminds me of all of it.

Halloween, and to a far greater extent, Mardi Gras, allows people to express a part of their personality that isn't always socially acceptable. For better or worse, if one chooses to dress up like Raw Meat Lady Gaga....well.... it's all good, One can always turn his or her head if the costume is offensive or doesn't resonate. Telling a New Orleans to get in costume is like inviting a mouse to have cheese.

I wonder if the rest of the world understands the exhibitionism of New Orleans. But I doubt the residents there care.