Behind the Masks: ​Mardi Gras​ Culture

Behind the Masks: ​Mardi Gras​ Culture

Caroline E. Hunt
Spring Hill College
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Abstract

When conducting an internet search of “​Mardi Gras,” ​a large number of articles and
stories highlighting New Orleans appear immediately. In order to generate any sort of
information about Rural Louisiana ​Mardi Gras​ celebrations, one must type in very specific
criteria and even then, hardly anything appears about these traditions. “Behind the Masks Blog”
is interactive and informational. It is intended to provide information that both entertains and
informs in a way that allows viewers to obtain a deeper understanding of the traditions involved
in this celebration, as well as the reasons they are so important to those directly involved. The
information included in this blog was gathered through research and direct interviews with
members of ​Mardi Gras​ “krewes” and associations throughout Louisiana and Alabama. The blog
itself has been promoted using social media and word of mouth in a way that encourages viewers
to take time to engage in the blog and learn something new along the way. Research information
found in the blog is presented alongside the stories of persons directly involved in said ​Mardi
Gras ​celebrations so that viewers can choose what information they would like to explore and in
what order. “Behind the Masks Blog” has enlightened the audience members who have
participated in the survey and allowed them to learn a bit more about the celebration of ​Mardi
Gras​ as a whole. The intent of this blog is to encourage understanding of the reasons behind the
traditions of ​Mardi Gras​ rather than just the traditions themselves.
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Table of Contents

I. Introduction 3
II. Project description 3
III. Rationale 5
IV. Goals and Objectives 6
V. Methods 7
VI. Project implementation 8
VII. Promotional Strategies 10
VIII. Assessment of Success 11
IX. Legal and Ethical Issues 13
X. Problems Encountered 14
XI. Critiques and Self-reflection 16
XII. Reference List 18
XIII. Appendices 20
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Introduction
Is there more to ​Mardi Gras​ than getting drunk and riding through town while throwing

or catching beads? This blog, titled “Behind the Masks”, addresses that question directly.

Members of the communities directly involved in these ​Mardi Gras ​celebrations are highlighted

in this blog and note the things that they personally believe make their traditions and style of

celebration different from others. This topic is relevant to my target audience because of its

proximity, impactfulness and oddity. The people most inclined to look at this blog are those who

are either already participating in one celebration or another or who live around it but do not

entirely understand it. Those who are not familiar with ​Mardi Gras​ at all will become informed

by the explanation of these traditions.

The culture with which one identifies is a group to which they share symbols, meanings,

values, experiences and behaviors (Hall, 2000 p.2). According to Stuart Hall, individuals seek an

identity through the culture in which they are a part of and the practices they participate in (Hall,

2000, p. 15). The cultures examined throughout this blog celebrate that connection with one

another in varying ways. The theory of cultural studies, as defined by Stuart Hall, is one that

concentrates on the dynamics of cultures as they are now in relation to their history and meaning

(Miller, 2005, p. 304). This is exactly what “Behind the Masks'' does through research paired

with feature stories to highlight the traditions behind the celebration rather than the celebration

alone.

Project Description

“Behind the Masks” is a travel-style blog with multiple sections, each accompanying a

different area of research. This decision was made because the world is shifting to an
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online-society. Travellers no longer rely on brochures and travel agents to book vacations

but rather turn to social media and online articles (Pirolli, 2014, p. 5).

The focus of this blog is on varying areas and the unique celebrations of each of them

including: Eunice, Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama. Other aspects

include specifics surrounding the masks and costumes worn during these celebrations as well as

the history behind the holiday as a whole and specific aspects of the traditions in different areas.

Each category included in the blog has its own page comprising a feature story of

someone who is directly involved in that type of celebration, a sidebar of facts about the

celebration that were not included in the story, and photographs and video clips taken at the

event itself. The blog is simple to navigate and read with fonts and backgrounds that do not

distract from the content displayed, a technique gathered from ​Things I Wish I Knew...

(Codeinwp, 2020).

The idea is that a person of any age or knowledge of the internet will be able to easily

access the blog and navigate around the website with ease. The idea behind separation of factual

information and feature stories in order to allow the audience a sense of choice was inspired by

Adventures in the Blogosphere​, a paper that examines viewers and writers of blogs throughout a

year and expands upon what they reported to be most pleased with (Ducate & Lomica, 2008).

Through this paper, it was reported that viewers were most pleased when given options to

navigate blog sites on their own and select exactly what information they wanted at the time

(Ducate & Lomica, 2008).

Ideally, the audience of “Behind the Masks Blog” will choose to read both parts, but

should they choose not to, it is an easier way for them to quickly get to the information they want
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to access. The layout of this blog is also simple and consistent. The stories and sidebar of facts

remain the same on each page and the colors (aside from photographs and video clips) are

consistently the colors of ​Mardi Gras​ everywhere: purple, green and gold. ​Mardi Gras​ is

generally a bright and colorful celebration and the blog is designed to reflect that.

The only page that does not have a gallery of photographs accompanying the writing is

the “history” tab. This was chosen for the purpose of offsetting the page as one that is strictly

informative. It appears before the other pages that have feature stories because it is intended to

be read before them. The history page is included as a way to provide the audience with a brief

overview of what ​Mardi Gras​ is generally, as some may have heard of it but know nothing about

it. The intent of this page is also to dive deeper into the historical facts and stray a bit from the

lighthearted interviews included in later sections. It is a page intended to be more factual and

serious to bring a light to the facts that some may not know about ​Mardi Gras​ as a whole.

Examples of information found on this page include facts of where ​Mardi Gras

originated and how it came about. Was it a Greek celebration or a French one? Did it begin in

Mobile or New Orleans? What is the significance of the King Cake or the baby and beads? These

are just a few examples of things that are often questioned in regards to ​Mardi Gras c​ elebrations

everywhere (Hardy, 2014, p. 4-6). The information presented on this page goes further to even

expand into the cultural framework of these celebrations. According to an article by Rocky L.

Sexton, ​Mardi Gras ​was founded in communities with close social networks and used as a means

of celebrating identity and breaking the confines of social institutions (Sexton, 2001, p.3). This

information is particularly helpful in proving the points that connect the Cultural Studies
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theoretical framework with the project’s intent to inform the audience of the traditions

themselves.

Rationale

When conducting an internet search of “South Louisiana ​Mardi Gras​” or “Cajun ​Mardi

Gras​,” a few articles or ​courir (Mardi Gras “​ Run”) schedules appear but nothing extensively

explains what the celebration is or the history behind it. “Behind the Masks Blog” provides a

platform that both informs and entertains the intended audience. Viewers are able to click on any

page and understand the depths of varying traditions and feel as though they know the people

involved personally through the feature stories about them. The intent is to show people, rather

than tell them, why these traditions are so important and why the members of these communities

and cultures have worked so hard for so long to preserve them.

It is a learned practice in journalism or storytelling in general to pair something visual

with the words a story is expressing (Thompkins, 2018, p. 137). The importance of this practice

is emphasized in almost any outlet to highlight best practices of storytelling. Adding visuals is so

impactful to stories because it gives the audience an emotional tie. They are able to look at the

people or objects they are reading about and it leads to a much longer lasting impression as well

as a deeper understanding of the story being portrayed (Hennessy, 2013, p. 230).

With this being said, to the people of Eunice, Louisiana and surrounding cities, ​Mardi

Gras​ is more than just one day of partying, it is what they plan for and look forward to all year

long. Therefore, this topic is important and will make a difference to the people involved as it
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directly impacts them. It raises awareness of the divide in the cultural celebrations that take place

in these areas.

The celebrations take place in such close proximity to one another and yet, people

involved in one often have no knowledge of the other (Sexton, 1999, p. 1 ). The celebrations of

these ​Mardi Gras ​events are intended to bring people in these cities together and create a new

trust within them and that is important to show people in varying cultures (Sawin, 2001, p. 185).

People may see certain celebrations as bizarre or unorthodox because they may have never heard

of them.

“Behind the Masks Blog” is intended to bridge that gap in knowledge by using cultural

studies to observe the critical implications of the cultures at hand. It is said that hegemony, or

influence and authority, is key to the way that a culture interacts (Hall,1970, P. 3).​ Mardi Gras

celebrations in Louisiana, as well as Alabama, are composed of a hierarchy and participants must

follow and trust whomever is leading them (Comeaux, 2010, p.2). According to ​The Cajun

Mardi Gras Photojournal, “​ Despite the visible variation that takes place in these events, ​Mardi

Gras​ is an affirmation of community and a feeling of belonging” (Comeaux, 2010, p. 2).

This sense of trust is what brings the people in these cultures together and gives them a

sense of community. The masks worn during these celebrations provide a large part of that

community sense and trust (Sawin, 2001, p. 185). In order for one to understand the celebrations

as well as their effects on the community, they must first understand the cultural traditions and

reasoning behind them. Some of these cultures remain obscure and may even prefer it that way,

however, this blog informs those uninvolved of the traditions and the historical connections to

the modern celebrations (Sexton, 2001, p. 31).

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Goals and Objectives

The objective of this blog is to raise an awareness of the divide in traditions and

celebrations adapted from the same historical occurrence. Cultural studies explains that there are

many possible cultures that vary by circumstance and because of that, the ideology of these

cultures is open to interpretation, conflict and influence (Hall, 1970, P. 4). It is important to note

the differences between these celebrations to ensure the audience will fully grasp the reasoning

behind them and what truly separates them from one another.

Tourism has played a large part in the evolution of the way these ​Mardi Gras

celebrations are portrayed (Ware, 2004, p. 157). While the New Orleans and Mobile celebrations

have dominated in tourism surrounding ​Mardi Gras, r​ ural Louisiana celebrations have become

included in this realm of tourism marketing (Ware, 2004, p. 157.) The idea of these celebrations

being “marketed” has come with mixed emotions to those involved. Some see it as a good thing

in that they financially benefit from it, while others see it in a negative light. Those who perceive

this change in a negative way, generally hold the idea that their specific celebrations should be

contained to members of their community and others who become involved are intruding on that

shared community (Ware, 2004, p. 159). This idea alone, leads back to the concept of Cultural

Studies and the sense of identity that one claims in relation to their community. When that

identity is threatened, members of said community do not always take politely to it.

Keeping this in mind, “Behind the Masks Blog” is intended to enlighten readers of the

ways of these celebrations, not to encourage participation in any way. It is mentioned throughout

this paper that the blog takes on a “travel-style” identity. It should be clarified here that this

identity is merely from a design and distribution standpoint rather than a promotional one. These
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travel-style blogs are generally eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing to viewers, which is why

the inspiration for “Behind the Masks Blog” was taken from this style of blog rather than an

educational or informational one alone (Pirolli, 2014, p. 89).

This blog is not intended in any way to change or alter anything in relation to the form in

which different cultures celebrate the same holiday but rather to unveil those differences and lead

to an understanding of why they occur. The traditions and celebrations have evolved in these

cultures throughout recent years when taking tourism and curiosity into considerations, and

“Behind the Masks” is meant to highlight those as well. According to Oxford Research

Encyclopedia, cultural journalism is a subfield of journalism that has a broader take on culture

and lifestyle issues (Riegert, 2018, p. 1). Cultural journalism is becoming increasingly popular

and consumers are finding more reason to engage in it (Riegert, 2018, p.1). Because of this, the

goal of this blog becomes to fit into that category of entertainment journalism and inform the

public, objectively, of what goes on during these celebrations.

By providing the audience with a full history of ​Mardi Gras​ and how it came to be such a

big celebration in Louisiana and is now spreading to other parts of the country, viewers are

invited to understand the cultures more deeply and why the differences exist. The blog takes a

closer look at differences between ​Mardi Gras​ celebrations in New Orleans (perhaps the most

well-known celebration) and celebrations in other places throughout Louisiana and Alabama.

This project is intended, not only to give my audience a better understanding of the celebration

and its deep roots in the Catholic church as well as its meaning at this time of year, but to also

provide a new perspective on it altogether.

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Theoretical Framework

The conceptual framework of this project and paper is centered around cultural studies

per Stuart Hall. Cultural studies is based upon the ways culture influences individual

experiences, social relations, and daily life (Hall, 2000, P. 15). It explores relationships between

how cultures can be understood through human expression and symbolic activities and cultures

understood as ways of life. Cultural studies uncovers and explains the process in which societies

and the different groups within them come to terms with history and celebrate that history (Hall,

2000 p. 15).

According to Hall, every individual seeks an identity in one way or another and

oftentimes, that identity comes from the group or community with which one categorizes

themselves (Hall, 2000 p. 15). It is stated that, “Identities are constructed through, not outside,

differences,” (Hall, 2000 p. 17). This is important to the project at hand because it proves that the

very things that make these celebrations and cultures separate is also what unifies the

communities within the cultures. It is said in ​Cultural Identity and Diaspora, ​that

“Our cultural identities reflect the common historical experiences and shared cultural

codes which provide us...with stable, unchanging and continuous frames of reference and

meaning beneath the shifting divisions and vicissitudes of our actual history,” (Hall, 1990

p. 223).

Taking this into consideration only helps to prove the idea that cultures and community members

find safety and comfort in their identification with one another through their community history.

Hall goes on to later bring a light to the fact that these cultures are constantly finding new

and innovative ways to celebrate those historical pasts and use that foundation to build upon an
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image (Hall, 1990, p. 224). He considers this, “imaginative rediscovery,” (Hall 1990, p. 224).

These continual practices of representation of history are important to maintain cultural identity

and cohesiveness (Hall, 1990 p. 224).

This conceptual framework is ideal for this blog because it has helped to put professional

research questions and information into this specific research in order to have a more complete

and holistic execution of the project. This conceptual framework has helped to bring light to

some of the specific aspects of traditions that have been researched more deeply as well as

helping to fully understand the concept of traditions within different cultures as a whole. This

concept has helped to understand the ways that communities celebrate their cultures and the

history surrounding it through traditions during Mardi Gras.

Methods

Throughout the course of this semester I have taken various approaches to completing

this capstone project and blog, some have been successful while others have not. A journalistic

approach was taken to gather information, both research-based and from sources directly. A

number of the researched celebrations were attended objectively in order to obtain a holistic

understanding of the celebrations so that I was capable of relaying those celebrations to the

audience. While in attendance of these celebrations, video clips and photographs were captured

that could later be edited and shared through the blog to enhance the feature writing and factual

reporting in a visually appealing way, per the journalistic storytelling advice received in many

sources. In order to achieve all of this, a Sony DSLR camera and media kit that was ordered

through Spring Hill College were used. The website used to create this online blog is Weebly,
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which I had some previous knowledge of through other classes. Finally, Adobe Premiere Pro was

used to edit video clips found in the blog.

The project required creation of relatable content and presentation of it in a way that

allows the audience to understand and relate to the members of these cultural groups and feel a

connection to them in one way or another (Hennessy, 2013, p. 87).

The questions asked in interviews were thought out in a way that each subject would be

answering similar questions but their answers would portray the differences in their celebrations

(Appendix H). The goal was to ask all interview subjects similar, or the same, questions in order

to make the stories cohesive and connected so that the audience did not feel as though they were

being pulled in a number of different directions with all the stories appearing in completely

different formats and subject matter, a tactic obtained through ​Codeinwp.​

Project Implementation

The first step in implementation of these ideas into project form was to create a domain

where these thoughts and ideas could be placed in a visually interesting way. The next step in

this process was to reach out to the sources that were chosen at the start of the semester. This

step went slightly differently than planned as some of the people contacted initially had no

interest in speaking out or being involved in any way. Some of them, however, did provide a

different direction and lead to new sources that were helpful. At this point, the next step was to

create questions that would be asked in interviews and conduct them. Each of the sources was

very helpful and provided enough information to write stories that were similar in length to one

another, another key tactic in blog reporting (Ducatel & Lomicka, 2008).
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This was all done before the actual holiday took place. For some of the stories, the

writing process could not begin until after observation of the celebration took place. The purpose

of this is so that the writing could reflect the trueness of the event. However, one or two of the

stories were written before ​Mardi Gras​ took place, then edited after. I made the road trip to

Louisiana for ​Mardi Gras​ break and was able to squeeze in a lot of observing. A day trip was

taken to New Orleans, where a tour of Blane Kern’s​ Mardi Gras​ World took place. ​Mardi Gras

World is a large warehouse where much of the behind the scenes parts of ​Mardi Gras​ balls and

parades in New Orleans takes place. While in New Orleans, I also attended two parades that both

took place on the same day.

On the way home, research was conducted about these two parades specifically. Some of

the information unveiled the history of the leaders of the parades (Bacchus and Toth). Upon later

reflection, it was found that it would have been helpful to know some of the factual information

about these parades prior to attending them. For example, Bacchus is generally one of the

biggest, and more “adult appropriate” of the parades in New Orleans (Hardy, 2014, p. 73). In

addition, it was not known prior to attendance that masks are also required at New Orleans

celebrations, I was under the impression that was only something important to celebrations in

rural Louisiana (Hardy, 2014, p. 44).

The next step in this information-gathering process was to travel down the road to

Eunice, Louisiana for the annual ​Courir de Mardi Gras.​ Here, photography, video and

participant testimonies were able to be acquired. In Mobile, a parade was attended and as well as

a visit to the Mobile Carnivale Museum downtown to learn more information and speak with a

woman directly involved to gather more knowledge.

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In addition, interviews with two Mobile residents who have attended various Mardi Gras

festivities in the area were conducted. The next step in the process was to complete feature

writing and add all stories, research and digital content to the website and organize it all in a way

that was aesthetically appealing. This was probably the longest step in the process as it required a

great deal of trial and error.

Throughout the process of adding information to the online site, an online presence on

Instagram was maintained. In doing so, a photo or short video clip with a caption about each

article was posted as soon as a new one was uploaded. The goal of this was to encourage the

audience to interact directly on the website. Social media was used as a way to drive an audience

to the website and participate in the survey and blog. Next, all of the information gathered

through the online survey was evaluated to expose progress and success. The final step in the

project process was editing. Editing is generally an extensive process that requires attention to

detail (Routledge, 2006, p. 98).

At the start of this process, a Gantt chart was created in order to keep on track to

completing the project. Sticking to that timeline proved mostly successful with very few

exceptions. The finalization process to the online blog did not begin until about two weeks after

the proposed date and that slowed the process down quite a bit. The amount of work that would

truly go into transfering ideas from mind to the actual domain took much longer than anticipated

(Appendix B).
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Promotional Strategies

It is becoming more and more important for organizations these days to become a part of

social media and use it as a tool to promote and encourage any type of interaction. Previous

knowledge of Instagram was used to create a profile as a social media platform and rather than

participating in a promotional campaign, social media was used to promote the blog as a whole

in an attempt to reach a larger audience and inform more people (Appendix A). Attention

grabbing photos were posted in an attempt to portray visuals that people may find out of the

ordinary and that would stand out on a timeline in order to drive people to clicking the link in the

bio of the Instagram page. Since the main target audience of this project includes many younger

people who are interested in becoming involved in various ​Mardi Gras​ celebrations and college

aged men and women, it was decided that Instagram would be the best route to take. It is known

that many of the people who are active on social media sites such as Instagram are part of a

younger generation and that is why this platform was chosen to target them.

Since Instagram is a free social media site, no budget was needed to be set aside for

social media promoting. Had circumstances allowed students to remain on campus for the end of

the semester, I had plans to possibly advertise my blog on campus by making flyers and even

reserving a table in the back of the cafeteria and providing students with a direct opportunity to

observe my blog and ask questions as well as provide critique and feedback and participate in the

online survey. If this had been the case, it is possible that the feedback received may be less

biased. However, since this did not happen, social media presence had to be relied on as well as

word of mouth. This also involved emailing and texting out the link to the website to many

people throughout the process to ensure that it would be seen and evaluated.
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Assessment of Success

In order to receive feedback on this senior seminar capstone project, a survey and

comments section on the last page of the website was included. The survey includes a number of

questions about one’s involvement in ​Mardi Gras​ activities such as those included in this

research and project. In addition, a question asking if any new information was obtained was

added. One of the main goals was to inform people who were already involved in these

celebrations in one way or another of things even they may not know. Based on the responses

from these surveys, it can be said that these goals were successful. However, taking into account

the people who were informed of the blog, these responses may not be entirely objective

(Appendix C).

Thirteen people participated in the online survey and of those 13, 12 expressed that they

learned more about the celebration than they had known previously. Most of the people who

participated were members of my target audience, being that 10 of the participants were between

the ages of 19 and 25. Three of these people expressed that they had previously been aware of all

of the celebrations included in the blog, six said that they were somewhat aware and only two

expressed no knowledge of the celebrations. The part of the survey that was found to be the most

interesting, however, is that nine of the survey participants expressed that they had previously

been a part of one or more of these celebrations and only three expressed never participating.

This is important because it proves that some of the participants in these celebrations are doing it

just to participate and not because they have a true appreciation for the traditions and reasons
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behind the celebrations. This is an idea that is highlighted in a number of sources used to further

explain the traditions and why people participate in them.

“Behind the Masks Blog” also included an area that allowed viewers to add comments

and responses to the information seen on the blog as they saw fit. When the survey was posted

on social media, it was encouraged that the audience also provide helpful feedback that could be

implemented into this project. Many people expressed, through these responses, that they

enjoyed the blog and learned a lot and others expressed that it was well organized and

well-written. In addition to this positive feedback, some helpful critique was also recorded.

Some of these comments included that removal of the gallery of and videos from the

bottom of each page should be considered and placing pictures in between text paragraphs to

break up the words a bit and make it more visually appealing. There was also originally a

separate page on each tab that displayed the facts rather than a sidebar on each page and

someone commented that it was difficult for them to navigate and they found themselves going

back and forth from one page to another, which is what led to the decision of a sidebar of facts

rather than a completely separate page.

Another comment that led to a major change is one that expressed that a page should be

added about the author. I was not originally planning on adding a link to a separate page all

about myself, my connection to ​Mardi Gras​, and the topics specifically impacting me (Appendix

D). It was initially thought that this idea would make it seem like I was being less objective and

making the topic about me rather than the facts, but it was later realized that this is my project

and it should reflect myself a bit as well. Cultural reporting is a form of journalism that is

dedicated to a specific artistic outlet and the subjects behind it (Riegert, 2018, p.1). This form of
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journalism does allow room for some amount of author presence. If one is reporting on a culture

with only facts, it is easy for the feeling behind it to become lost along the way.

The last bit of feedback I received came from Dr. Babington in one of our second

advising meetings. In this meeting, he explained that it may be easier for viewers to look at this

project and keep interested in it for longer periods of time if title paragraphs were added to

separate content rather than making it all one big article. This made the website more visually

appealing as well as easier to follow.

Legal and Ethical Issues

Any journalist is bound to run into an ethical or legal issue at some point, that is part of

the slippery slope of the profession. The job of a journalist is to tell the truth and report the facts

(Pirolli, 2014). An issue that was faced involving this was finding a balance between doing so

and also making something visually and intellectually interesting for viewers. On the legal side, I

struggled with the permission forms (Appendix E) and filming subjects legally. When

conducting interviews, it was a goal to make the subjects as comfortable and willing to open up

in order to be comfortable to speak freely. With that being said, giving them the permission form

to sign allowing use of their name and likeness in the blog felt a bit impersonal. This was not

thought of as a problem until after the stories were already written and at this point it felt

extremely weird to send the subjects a form to sign after the fact. This problem was solved by

doing so anyway and emailing each of them a form to sign. The two subjects who did not

respond to the form, however, are aware that their information and interviews are being used and

distributed online and I have that in writing in emails (Appendix F).

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However, should there be an issue in the future with any of these subjects not feeling

comfortable with their name and likeness being used, I would more than likely agree to remove it

from the site. Despite the fact that I am not legally required to do so, it is the ethical response if

anyone feels uncomfortable for any reason with what has been produced and distributed.

Another issue faced was filming and photographing subjects engaging in these

celebrations. Being that all of the festivities attended took place publically, it was perfectly legal

to be there with a camera in hand. The issue comes with the fact that some of the people who

were participating in these celebrations were photographed with alcohol products and they may

have been underage. There was no way for me to know who, of the people involved, were over

the age of 21. On the other hand, an ethical issue faced was the idea of leaving viewers “gold

coins.” This concept is one that was learned about in multimedia storytelling and it consists of

leaving little tidbits of information throughout a story that keeps readers engaged and wanting

more. It was brought to my attention, however, that this is not a news style that journalists follow

but rather storytellers and that I should stick to journalistic style, which is what I ended up

deciding to do.

Problems Encountered

The biggest issue faced through this process was establishing a social media presence.

When using a platform such as Instagram, it is somewhat difficult to build a following as it takes

a bit of time for people to understand what the account is about and to follow it regularly. In such

a short amount of time, it was difficult to establish that following base and gain enough attention

through Instagram. Video quality and background noise was another issue that persisted

throughout this project implementation.

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The videos were meant to be organic so that they would truly show what the celebrations

were all about so there was a struggle between the options of putting music behind all of the

video clips or leaving the natural sound. The main reason for leaving most of the videos with one

exception with natural sound is that the background noises and people talking are aspects of the

culture that should be shared. For example, the accents that can be heard in the background of

some of the videos or the things they are saying about what is happening are vital to

understanding who the people involved really are.

The biggest problem throughout this entire process has been choosing to report on a

project that is almost completely based in a state different from the one that I was in for the

majority of it. This led to back and forth email and text communication with chosen feature story

subjects to gather much needed details. There was also only a week long break from college

classes for ​Mardi Gras​ which led to the need to squeeze as much activity into that time as

possible.

This COVID-19 pandemic has posed a bit of a problem as well. Without the interruption

of the virus, There would more than likely be much more engagement with professors and

advisors as well as peers in order to receive more feedback and critique to help this project reach

its full potential. Another aspect to this issue is that during this time, professors and business

professionals are becoming very overloaded with emails and messages and some of my messages

were getting lost among them.

Zoom sessions and online meetings, however, have been helping a bit. Video editing was

a major concern in the beginning of this project, as the resources generally used for video

projects in the past have been borrowed from the college’s computers. As a result, the original
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plan was to use these computers for video editing. Adobe solved that issue by allowing students

access to the software for free during these trying times.

Finally, the biggest issue to overcome was posting on social media. The original idea was

that it would be more important to wait until the whole blog was flawless to make any instagram

postings because if links were included, people would see that it was an incomplete website. It

was decided early on, however, that posts should be made anyway and the link could be changed

to coordinate with a specific page of the blog that viewers should see. By allowing the audience

to see progress made throughout the process, they would likely understand the whole creation

and purpose a bit better.

Critiques and Self-reflection

A major thing that this pandemic, along with this project, has revealed is that the world is

becoming more and more online every single day. Almost any business or organization one can

think of has some sort of online presence (Ware, 2003, p. 159). This was both a good and a bad

thing for the completion of “Behind the Masks Blog”. Many things were revealed along the way

of completing this project. Perhaps the biggest thing that has come to light is that writing and

newsgathering can be an exhausting process when brought into the real world. When working in

a tight-knit environment such as a small college, it is easier to come into contact with many

people and rely on others as there is a sense of community and therefore, members of that

community are much more likely to help another out. Talking with people and trying to translate

interviews into words in a way that an audience can connect with and understand can sometimes

be a difficult task. While this proved difficult, it was also a very helpful test and lesson to be

learned in preparation for any future in this career path.

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Another difficult task that comes along with projects such as this one is capturing

visually interesting photo and video evidence, editing it all, and placing it into a website in a way

that is interesting to viewers. The whole process was much more complex and tiring than

originally anticipated.

This has led to the feeling of exhaustion at a level that reveals the possible need for a

break from these demands when considering a future career path. This project has broadened the

level of understanding and skill that I possess in the area of modern technology and for that, I am

thankful. Throughout my time as a communication arts student, I have taken many courses that

touched upon feature writing and telling stories in a compelling and newsworthy way, but it was

still a struggle in the overall execution of this project. There was a bit of a disconnect from the

stories and that was a struggle to overcome in a number of ways. In order to fix this, the stories

were edited a number of times and reviewed. This process helped to create a better way of

translating those stories to an audience.

Throughout the process of building this blog, there was an overwhelming and lingering

feeling of the possibility of failure and work that would not make others proud. As the semester

moved forward, however, I became more confident in my work satisfied with the final product.

This realization has shown that confidence in hard work will often make the work itself better. If

it is remembered that this work will be shown to a large audience, it is more likely that a large

amount of effort will be put in so that the outcome will please this audience. Keeping this theory

in mind is something that will be helpful in future projects.

In the end, “Behind the Masks Blog” is something that can be shared with any person

who may want to gain more information about ​Mardi Gras​ as a whole as well as the specific
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aspects of certain types of celebrations. It will benefit its target audience because they can use it

as a resource to know and learn more, as well as teach others about the rich history of these

celebrations.
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Reference List

Abrahams, R. D., Spitzer, N., Szwed, J. F., & Thompson, R. F. (2006). ​Blues for New Orleans:

Mardi Gras and America's Creole Soul.​ University of Pennsylvania Press.

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/springhill-ebooks/reader.action?docID=3441583&

pg=1

Comeaux, M. (2010), ​Photojournal: The Cajun Mardi Gras in Southwest Louisiana.​ Focus on

Geography, 53: 14-23. doi:​10.1111/j.1949-8535.2010.00003.x

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1949-8535.2010.00003.x

​Editorial, C. W. P. (2020, April 28). 45 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blog That Gets

400,000 Visits/m. Retrieved from https://www.codeinwp.com/blog/starting-a-blog/

Gaudet, M., & McDonald, J. (2003). ​Mardi gras, gumbo, and zydeco : Readings in louisiana

culture​. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. (2003). Retrieved January 29, 2020

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/springhill-ebooks/detail.action?docID=746920

Gaudet, M. (2001). "​Mardi Gras, Chic-a-la-pie​:" reasserting Creole identity through festive play.

The Journal of American Folklore,​ ​114​(452), 154-174.

DOI: 10.2307/542094 https://www.jstor.org/stable/542094

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Hall, S. (1990). The Emergence of Cultural Studies and the Crisis of the Humanities. ​October,

53​, 11-23. doi:10.2307/778912

Hall, S. (1990). Cultural identity and diaspora.

Hennessy, B. (2013). ​Writing feature articles.​ New York, Routledge.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9780080468433

Lara C. Ducate1 & Lara L. Lomicka (2008) Adventures in the blogosphere: from blog readers to

blog writers, ​Computer Assisted Language Learning,​ 21:1, 9-28,

​DOI: 10.1080/09588220701865474

Matherne, B. (2019). ​Le Courir de Mardi Gras/​ The Mardi Gras Run. ​Résonance,​ ​1(​ 1), 12.

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=re

sonance

Miller, K. (2005). ​Communication theories.​ ​USA: ​Macgraw-Hill.

https://library.mpib-berlin.mpg.de/toc/z2008_2104.pdf

Pirolli B. (2014) Travel journalism in Flux: New practices in the blogosphere. In: Hanusch F.,

Fürsich E. (eds) ​Travel Journalism. Palgrave Macmillan, London.

https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137325983_5
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Riegert, K., Roosvall, A., & Widholm, A. (2018, August 28). Cultural Journalism. Retrieved from

https://oxfordre.com/communication/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acr

efore-9780190228613-e-796

Sawin, P. E. (2001). Transparent masks: The ideology and practice of disguise in contemporary

Cajun Mardi Gras. ​Journal of American folklore.​ 175-203.

DOI: 10.2307/542095​ ​https://www.jstor.org/stable/542095

Sexton, R. L. (2001). Ritualized inebriation, violence, and social control in Cajun Mardi Gras.

Anthropological Quarterly,​ 28-38. Vol. 74, No. 1

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3318301

S​exton, R. (1999). ​Cajun Mardi Gras: Cultural Objectification and Symbolic Appropriation in a

French Tradition.​ ​Ethnology,​ ​38(​ 4), 297-313. doi:10.2307/3773909

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A60100245/AONE?u=naal_shc&sid=AONE&xid=2bf806d8

Shrum, W., & Kilburn, J. (1996). Ritual disrobement at ​Mardi Gras​: Ceremonial exchange and

moral order. ​Social Forces,​ ​75​(2), 423.

https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/75.2.423

Ware, C. E. (1994). Reading the rules backward: Women and the rural Cajun Mardi Gras.
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https://search.proquest.com/docview/212111664?accountid=14000

Ware, C. E. (2003). Marketing ​Mardi Gras​: Heritage tourism in rural acadiana.​ Western

Folklore, 62(​ 3), 157-188.

http://ezproxy.shc.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/212102271?a

ccountid=14000
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Table of Appendices

Appendix A: Instagram account postings

Appendix B: Gantt Chart - project timeline
Appendix C: Survey Responses
Appendix D: Link to about me page of Behind the Masks Blog
Appendix E: Permission Forms
Appendix F: Written agreement to be a part of the Behind the Masks Blog
Appendix G: Video background music used from YouTube Creative Commons
Appendix H: Sample interview questions
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Appendix A:
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Appendix B:
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Appendix C:
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Appendix D:

https://mardigrasandme.weebly.com/
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Appendix E:
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Appendix F:

He requested to have the questions prior to the

interview.
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Appendix G:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZiGOrCW9_w&t=5s

Appendix H:

Sample interview questions:

1. When did you start making costumes?

2. What is your process? / How long does it typically take?

3. What made you decide to make your first one?

4. Have you ever participated in or gone to see a Eunice

Mardi Gras? (or any other Rural Louisiana mardi gras)

5. Do you think there’s something special about the way

Mardi Gras is celebrated in Eunice compared to others such
as New Orleans and even lafayette?