What are the best things about New Orleans Culture?
New Orleans culture holds a distinctive place among the list of prestigious cultures of the world. That’s mainly due to its rich history, jazz music, traditional food and seafood, art, and architecture. Explore more about its history and culture here.
New Orleans History and Culture
The culture of New Orleans has emerged from a diverse range of cultures such as French, Spanish, and African-American. It even has Germans, Irish, Italians, Jewish, Latino, and Vietnamese influences in it.
Mardi Gras Indians, Second Lines, Voodoo, Congo Square, and jazz funerals are important traditions of New Orleans culture. These well-known rituals are a blend of African-American and French cultures.
Cajun and Creole are the two most important cultures as well as cuisines here. Both of them have their own distinct history. The common understanding is that Creoles are black or mixed-race while Cajuns are a white race. Cajuns inhabit the rural parts of South Louisiana whereas Creoles are from New Orleans.
Just like their distinct history, Cajuns and Creoles make up most of the cuisines of New Orleans culture. Jambalaya, gumbo, boiled crawfish, pecan pie, boudin sausage, crawfish étouffée, and corn maque choux are the traditional Cajun dishes here. Whereas, oysters rockefeller, Creole chicken fricassée, smothered pork chops, and red beans and rice are the traditional Creoles dishes here.
Backstreet Cultural Museum
Backstreet Cultural Museum is the museum here that provides tourists with a deep understanding of New Orleans culture. Here you’ll discover the city’s largest collection of Mardi Gras Indian costumes. Not only this, but you’ll also see a huge collection of photos and video footage of New Orleans’ top traditions. The jazz funerals, Mardi Gras, and second lines are a few of the top traditions to name here.
This museum has kept the culture of New Orleans alive. Its founder is Sylvester Francis (also goes by Sylvester Francis New Orleans). The locals and tourists alike love him and respect him so much for his contribution to keeping the culture alive. He put so much of his mind and soul into the museum’s work that the museum is itself a description of its founder. He died on September 1, 2020, at the age of 73. But, New Orleans people will always remember him as “A Powerhouse of Knowledge”.
The Hospitality of the People of New Orleans
The people of New Orleans are well-known for their hospitality. Their hospitality is the same for their citizens and tourist. One of the many things that mark their hospitality is the foundation of Culture Aid NOLA (CAN). Launched in March 2020, CAN is a non-profit organization. Its main purpose was to fight the food insecurity heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization equally welcomes everyone without any requirement of identification, income verification, or appointments.
JAMNOLA New Orleans
JAMNOLA is one of the top tourist attractions in New Orleans. It stands for Joy Art Music New Orleans (JAMNOLA). Known as New Orleans’ first experiential pop-up, it’s the place where you get to know New Orleans culture history in a fun way. There are 12-room exhibits in it. People of all ages come here to enjoy jazz music, iconic art, and food.
Moreover, the culture of New Orleans will likely inspire you to shop some culture’s fashion. In such a case, Pop Culture NOLA is one of the best clothing stores to shop in New Orleans.