While I'm a bit weary from another run of early morning restaurant shifts (which I've been told end this week), I felt compelled to post about a sight I witnessed yesterday afternoon--a Second Line that paraded by the house.
I had just arrived home from work yesterday afternoon and watched Brandon leave for his shift at Fins when my phone rang. "There's a huge Second Line coming up North Rampart, and they're turning up Esplanade. You should be able to see it from the front door". No sooner had I opened the door and stepped out on the stoop, there it was--a glorious, six minute parade of about 300 people, complete with a shoe-shaped float containing matrons waving to the crowd assembled on the neutral ground (the divide between opposing flows of traffic)and the banquettes (sidewalks here in New Orleans), a brass band, and a sea of dancers and steppers marching along. I have no idea what they were representing, but that's never the point. Second Lines are a common occurence here.
New Orleans is a city built on a colorful history that is represented by an overwhelming number of festivals, displays, costumes and parades. I've quickly learned in my short time here that any excuse will do for people to don costumes and take to the streets. The Second Lines appear frequently. The origin of the Second Line, as I understand it, was to celebrate the life of a recently deceased after the burial had taken place. Those Second Lines still occur here, but the parades now mark any occasion--I witnessed a Second Line for a local church go by the door at 10am on a Sunday morning in August. Many locals will have a second line as part of their wedding, and we even had one run through the hotel a couple of weeks ago that had all of the restaurant patrons up out of their chairs, waving and twirling their napkins as the parade passed through the lobby.
I had just arrived home from work yesterday afternoon and watched Brandon leave for his shift at Fins when my phone rang. "There's a huge Second Line coming up North Rampart, and they're turning up Esplanade. You should be able to see it from the front door". No sooner had I opened the door and stepped out on the stoop, there it was--a glorious, six minute parade of about 300 people, complete with a shoe-shaped float containing matrons waving to the crowd assembled on the neutral ground (the divide between opposing flows of traffic)and the banquettes (sidewalks here in New Orleans), a brass band, and a sea of dancers and steppers marching along. I have no idea what they were representing, but that's never the point. Second Lines are a common occurence here.
New Orleans is a city built on a colorful history that is represented by an overwhelming number of festivals, displays, costumes and parades. I've quickly learned in my short time here that any excuse will do for people to don costumes and take to the streets. The Second Lines appear frequently. The origin of the Second Line, as I understand it, was to celebrate the life of a recently deceased after the burial had taken place. Those Second Lines still occur here, but the parades now mark any occasion--I witnessed a Second Line for a local church go by the door at 10am on a Sunday morning in August. Many locals will have a second line as part of their wedding, and we even had one run through the hotel a couple of weeks ago that had all of the restaurant patrons up out of their chairs, waving and twirling their napkins as the parade passed through the lobby.
The spirit of the Second Line is infectious, and you'll see people move from watching along the periphery to the middle of the moving throng, waving handkerchiefs or parasols as they step and undulate to the music. It's a wonderful mix of people--race and social status don't seem to matter; as long as you're moving and keeping with the music they'll let you in. I've never witnessed anything like it anywhere else I've lived, and I think it's a wonderful practice that makes New Orleans such a unique place in the world.
We'll talk about yats and accents another day...
We'll talk about yats and accents another day...
Beautiful post. Really beautiful post.
ReplyDeleteI love a second-line. It's the kind of infectious that's good to spread around. I realized shortly after coming to New Orleans that not only is it a wonderful distraction from an ordinary day, but it provides a perfectly valid excuse for being a few minutes late for work. "I'm going to be a few minutes late. I'm caught up in a second line. I can't get by with the trombones and fans and everything." The typical response is "OK. We will see you in a little while." What is not to love about this city!
ReplyDeleteI think its something about living below sea level that inspires such innovative enterprises. After all, look at the Dutch...
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