Funeral Foods and Funerals in the South

The Cajun and I attended a funeral yesterday - his grandmother passed away early Sunday morning. She was 95 and had been bedridden for about the last year. Though she had been very alert the past few weeks, she had also sort of been what we call 'between two worlds' lately, so we knew it would not be long. She passed away peacefully in her sleep.

Attending the funeral mass, traveling in the funeral procession and then of course, the family gathering afterward reminded me of our southern traditions relating to funerals, and I told my husband "I need to blog about this."  Being a southern girl who has never lived outside of the south, I can't say for a fact, but I'm pretty sure, that there are certain things about Christian funerals that are fairly unique to us southerners.

Of course there's the whole wake, or viewing thing. This is often held the same time as the funeral service, and sometimes in the church, but the event can often be spread out over two days and involve both. Sometimes the wake is held the evening before the funeral at the funeral home, with the funeral service the following day. Sometimes it is all done at the church.  Either way, the "viewing" involves having an open casket, where people can visit the deceased one last time and offer a prayer for their soul. The family gathers and there is a small service, and if the deceased is of the Catholic faith, sometimes there is the reciting of the rosary.  If the funeral goes into two days, the following day, there is a small funeral service, and then a procession to the gravesite. And, if services are held in a church and the deceased is Catholic, there is almost always a Mass.

We have a large Catholic population down here of course, so the chances of you attending a southern Catholic funeral mass is pretty high if you attend a funeral down here. Course that isn't unique to the south at all, it just reminded me of how prevalent the Catholic faith is here. Personally, I am a "non-practicing Catholic," though most other Catholics would tell you there is no such thing. Once a Catholic, always a Catholic, they say. But for a number of reasons that I won't go into here, my church {sigh} has essentially rejected me - the primary reason being that The Cajun and I - both Catholics - chose not to marry in the Catholic church in this remarriage. In short, I consider myself to simply be a Christian these days, but it is funny how old habits and that connection to the Catholic Church tend to stick with you.  Though I do not take communion, I still find myself reciting the responses and prayers of the Mass. It's just an ingrained part of anyone raised Catholic I guess and I'm betting that all of that standing, sitting, kneeling and chanting must really freak out those of other faiths the first time they experience it at a funeral mass! 

One of the most prominent things that is traditional in the south is what happens during the funeral procession of vehicles to the gravesite. The Cajun's grandma had a large family - many came from New Iberia and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was her home until she met her fisherman husband and ended up here in Biloxi, Mississippi, raising a very large family in some very hard times. My father in law is no stranger to hard work and he is truly a traditional southern daddy, that's for sure! There were and still are, of course, strong ties to Louisiana for my husband, his father and the rest of the family, which is why my hubby is deemed "The Cajun" in much of my writing.

All that family and the funeral procession was a good mile or more long as we traveled from Saint Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, to the Biloxi Cemetery, taking up what seemed nearly the full length of the brand new Ocean Springs bridge.  I have to give kudos to both the Ocean Springs and Biloxi police departments for their excellent escort service. They did a fantastic job of diverting traffic and keeping the funeral procession together all the way to the  Biloxi Cemetary. There were at least 5 police cruisers escorting us the entire trip.

The thing that I think is unique about our processions down here though is what happens with other drivers.

If you are traveling our roads in one direction and you see a funeral procession traveling on the other side of the road in the opposite direction - yes, even on a divided 4-lane highway - chances are you will see the traffic on your side - opposite of the direction the funeral procession is traveling - pull off of the road and come to a stop. Not the traffic in front of the procession, but the traffic on the other side of the road!

Because you see, when a funeral passes down south, we pull our cars off to the far edge of the road, or off of the road, turn on our headlights, put our cars in park, and pay our respects by waiting for the funeral procession to pass. A prayer or two is usually offered for both the departed and their family. The police officers who stop to block the intersections to allow the procession to remain together, step out of their cruisers, remove their hats and hold them over their hearts as the cars pass - for everyone, no matter who you were.

Honestly, no matter how many funeral processions I have been in, just seeing this still brings tears to my eyes every time, because it reminds me of how connected we are in the south to one another, even those who we do not personally know.

The other thing that we do in the south has everything to do with food ... of course! And yes, it crosses all faiths.

Besides the food that is always immediately delivered to the house, once the funeral service is over, and the procession has carried the deceased to their final resting place, all of the friends and family gather, either returning to the church hall or else to a private residence, and the party begins. Done pot luck style and never in a restaurant, everybody brings their favorite dishes and all of the family and friends gather, eat, chat and catch up with one another and reminisce about the departed.  Don't be at all surprised if somebody breaks out some music and the dancing and general merriment commence - a celebration of life and the passing of a loved one into eternity in their next life is reason for celebration down south.

Click here to see a few of our traditional southern funeral foods.

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Beauty from the Ashes - Bridge Mosaics

All images in this post not otherwise credited, are my original photographs and are copyright of My New 30 Blog, whether watermarked or not; images are not to be used, copied, altered or transferred without prior written permission of the owner.

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I realize that this post is a bit long, and future installments of Beauty from the Ashes won't have all this background, so you can skip the introduction and scroll on down to the Bridge Mosaics if you prefer. I hope you'll hang with me through to the end though, or maybe you'll come back when you have time to read the whole thing.

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So often, after a major natural disaster there is that awkward silence that occurs among people who live elsewhere whenever the issue is mentioned. We often have no idea what to say, so we say nothing, and hope that the people and the community are recovering.

Despite that the break of the levees in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the human horror that occurred there got most of the media attention, the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast suffered tremendously from the hurricane itself - destruction that stretched from the Louisiana coast of Mississippi to the Alabama coast.

Even Alabama and the Florida panhandle suffered the effects. Trust me ... because we live right on the Gulf, we sought refuge with a friend who lives far inland in Alabama. Through the height of the storm things were so frightening up there, that I knew I was going to come home to a Mississippi that would be forever changed. My inlaws, many of our family members and friends, and thousands of residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast came home to find only slabs and literally nothing else.

But, we are coming back, slowly but surely, bigger, better, stronger and more beautiful than before, and if it weren't for the greed of the insurance industry, it would have been faster - but that is a whole 'nother story, that'll throw me into a major Southern Style Hissy Fit, so I'll spare y'all that for now.

There was so much loss in so many ways from that storm. Beauty from the Ashes is a series I'm doing to outline those things born out of the destruction from Katrina that bring a ray of sunshine and hope. Not that I am an overtly "religious" person, but the series is based on Old Testament scripture from Isaiah 61:3, because this speaks to restoration and making whole. "To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness."

If you have a major body of water that separates two metropolitan areas where you live, you know how critical these bridges are. They are really the lifeblood of a city, not only connecting the two cities, but for us here, the entire coastline, really.

(view of the adjacent railroad bridge taken
from the top of the new Biloxi Bay Bridge)

After Katrina, the Biloxi-Ocean Springs bridge {or the Biloxi Bay Bridge as it is now known}, a major thoroughfare between Biloxi and Ocean Springs, and to other coastal areas of Mississippi, was literally destroyed. People would come to the foot of the bridge, me being one of them, and just stare in silence and disbelief at this twisted pile of concrete. There was going to be no quick fix for this.

Photo Credit: Ocean Science and Stewardship

For more than two years, the eastern peninsula of Biloxi located at the foot of the bridge, in an area known as Casino Row, became a virtual dead end. Drivers had to re-route out to the interstate and then backtrack back to the Gulf further west, just to get back to areas along the beach at Highway 90; areas that normally were just a quick trip over the bridge. But there wasn't much left down there at the time, and not a lot of reason to travel back east along Highway 90.

That dead end at the foot of the bridge in Biloxi became a near ghost town.

The resiliency of Mississippi shines through though. We pulled up our boot straps and got to work on recovery and thanks to loads of volunteers from all across this fine country, you'd never know it today. That area, and other areas of Highway 90 along the beach, have literally been injected with life and today is active, alive and well.

This is another shot of the Biloxi Bay Bridge on the Ocean Springs side, right after Katrina. In the background to the right, where pilings are sticking out of the ground, is where stood the Ocean Springs Yacht Club. It was a small building, worn with time, but nothing was left of it after the storm.

Photo Credit: GCIS On Line Information Guide

But, this is the Ocean Springs Yacht Club today. This raised building style is becoming quite common here these days, especially along the beachfront, and this building - heads above the old yacht club - is simply beautiful.

Stay with me! I'm about to show you something even more beautiful that resides in this very area, just to the right side of this gorgeous new yacht club building. Something of beauty that rose out of this very area marred by the destruction in that other photo above.

While it would be two years before the new bridge was even partially open to traffic, it truly seemed a lifetime. There was such anticipation and joy over the opening when the time finally came and it would be April of 2008 before the bridge was fully completed. This is a shot approaching the newly constructed bridge from the Ocean Springs side. Down on the lower left hand side, where you see cars parked is where I am taking you, to see the beautiful bridge mosaics. You can also see the top roof section of the new yacht club.

When plans for a new bridge were in the design phase, Connie Moran, the mayor of Ocean Springs, fought to have a bridge that was not only functional, but one that would include a safe, well lit pedestrian walking path stretching from Ocean Springs to Biloxi, and a bridge that would be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, in line with post-storm charrettes. From her fight, several panels were constructed along the lower east Ocean Springs side of the bridge that use mosaics to depict life along the Coast.

Elizabeth Veglia, a mixed media artist from Pass Christian, well known for her mosaic art, created each of the panels. She also created the mosaic from the Hurricane Camille memorial {Camille was another hurricane that hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1969, coming on land just about the same area where Katrina hit} that while seriously damaged by Katrina, was found with the mosaic to be fully intact. Ms. Veglia also designed the mosaics within the Hurricane Katrina memorial orchestrated by the television program, Extreme Home Makeover.

Let's first visit that memorial.

The Katrina Memorial is located at the Biloxi Town Green public square, downtown Biloxi, across from the Hard Rock casino. The mosaic represents the waves from the much loved Gulf of Mexico that were driven in as an angry storm surge backed by hurricane winds, leaving a path of destruction behind. The memorial, dedicated in February of 2006 by candlelight vigil, was constructed to honor the precious lives taken by Hurricane Katrina. It stands 12 feet high, roughly the height of the storm surge at Town Green during the storm.

At one end of the memorial is a memorial box. The Extreme Home Makeover team put out a public request for people to bring anything that was found in the storm rubble that was memorable or had some meaning. What resulted was a menagerie of a sort of memory box, time capsule, that would be forever encased for public display.

Now, I want to show you those beautiful mosaic panels that are underneath the Biloxi Bay Bridge, in Ocean Springs, at the Ocean Springs beach. This is a look at that very same area in the photograph above that shows the destruction of the bridge and the Ocean Springs Yacht Club.

There are a total of 4 panels. I like the way that the design is flowing, like the water.

See the waves cut into the concrete at the bottom of each panel? The fencing above is the 12-foot wide, pedestrian walkway and bicycle lane, just over 3 miles round trip. Despite the heat, a nice breeze blows across the bridge from the Gulf of Mexico, making it a very pleasant walk. There are trash receptacles and benches, all along the way for resting, or just taking a moment to admire the 95-feet high view. You would be amazed at the number of people who are using this bridge for exercise.

Here are photos of each mosaic panel, in no particular order. Enjoy.

At the end of the panels, right next to the Ocean Springs Yacht Club, I took a shot looking up from the foot of the bridge. Caught a fella fishing down there, but didn't disturb him to see if he was catching anything. I think the bridge is simply a beautiful design, don't you?

Time to head back and take another peek at the panels on the way out.

Out of destruction, beauty rises. I hope that you enjoyed the tour!

Photo Credit: Miss. Dept. of Transportation

For all those who sacrificed their time, their vacations, and their sweat to volunteer and come work in the heat and humidity to help South Mississippians recover their lives, we are truly indebted to you and can never express how much it has meant to us. God bless you all.

Photo Credit: City of Biloxi

Next: Katrina-born Tree Sculptures around the Coast - Artist, Marlin Miller

It's That Time of Year Again...

Yep. They're everywhere! No matter where you go they are in your face. You can't escape them. They scream at you from far and near. What am I talking about you say?

Plastic babies? In bags? With colored beads?

It must be ...

Gotta be ...

King Cake Time!

Luscious, cinnamon sweet dough, generally filled with cream cheese and some kind of fruity filling, shaped into a ring and sprinkled with sugars in the colors of Mardi Gras - purple, green and gold, representing justice, faith and power.  (And, yes, yes, I know... these are nothing like European king cakes.)

And king cake means it's Carnival Season!

These king cakes have actually been around the stores for a couple of weeks now since our Carnival Season on the Mississippi Gulf Coast officially started on January 31st. (Starts even earlier in New Orleans.)  As soon as you walk into the local WalMart you are hit with a huge display of these lovely sugary concoctions, in all manner of fillings for every appetite. And while yes, even though the ones at WalMart are pretty yummy, and Gambinos over in New Orleans are delicious, my personal favorites come locally from Paul's Pastry Shop over in Picayune, Mississippi - near the Louisiana border.  Their dough is much more tender and delicious - and since I'm pretty sure that WalMart's king cakes are shipped in, Paul's are always fresher tasting.

Heck you can even pick up a Paul's Pastry king cake at local Fayards BP gas stations, but ya gotta get 'em early because they go fast. I love the berry ones - strawberry, blueberry, raspberry - the combo berry, is excellent - but the Mississippi Mud king cake and the Pecan Praline king cake are awesome!  In case you decide to have a little Mardi Gras party of your own, or just want to treat your friends or family to a very special treat, check out their menu! And remember, it's tradition that if you happen to receive the one piece of king cake that contains little plastic baby, you will have a very lucky year, but you also must "host" the next king cake.

Most folks associate Mardi Gras in the U.S. with the wild debauchery that occurs in New Orleans where women routinely expose their breasts to get the more so-called prized beads...

...though this still amazes me that women will do this... and it's not unusual to find people literally passed out in a corner somewhere amidst puddles of spilled beer and other ugly things from massive overindulging. Lovely huh? And oh yes, I lived in New Orleans for several years and believe me, I have seen it all.

One Mardi Gras I got into a crowd of people like in this picture on Bourbon Street when some very scantily clad young ladies from the Playboy Club came out onto one of those balconies, and suddenly the crowd rushed from both sides right into the center all at once toward those women and where we just happened to be and started crushing everybody.  My boyfriend at the time and I literally pushed our way over to the wall of one of the buildings, but it got a little bit scary until somebody up there finally figured out what was going on and made those gals go back inside and the crowd disbursed.  That was my last time to get on Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras day! Still, even in the ugliness of it, somehow, I think that everybody ought to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans at least once in their lifetime.  But once just might be enough.

Well, in truth, Mardi Gras is celebrated all over the Coastal South - though in a much more family friendly manner outside of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Mardi Gras parades actually originated with our neighbors to the east in Mobile, Alabama, who celebrated their first Mardi Gras parade in 1703, well before New Orleans held their first parade, though some in New Orleans dispute this as being representative of carnival and still claim the title.

For us, here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Carnival Season starts officially this year on January 31st and will end on Fat Tuesday (which is what the word mardi gras actually means), the Tuesday before Lent, which is Mardi Gras Day down here - February 24th this year. It is sort of thought of as the last opportunity for merrymaking and indulgence in food and drink, and a time to throw caution to the wind (within reason) before the period of abstinence for the upcoming 40 days of Lent before Easter. Mardi Gras is marked by several weeks of pageants, elaborate masked balls, spectacular costumes, and weeks of parades featuring floats and people dancing and partying in the streets.  And yes, Mardi Gras is a very big deal on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.


There are about 22 parades across the Mississippi Coast within the carnival period, some small, some large. Traditionally, Ocean Springs kicks off the first parade on the first Saturday in February and that was this past weekend.  (We were up in the "country" at a cousin's 60th birthday party and didn't go) Each parade is hosted by a different carnival organization, carnival krewe, or other group, many of whom also hold large masked balls complete with a king, queen and full royal court, boasting very elaborate costumes and much pageantry.



In Biloxi, the queen is named Queen Ixolib (which is Biloxi backwards if you missed that) and the king is King D'Iberville, named after the French explorer, Pierre Le Moyne, Sieu d'Iberville, who established a settlement at old Biloxi (now Ocean Springs) in 1699 when looking for the Mississippi Sound.

Colorful floats - often designed and built by Blaine Kern of New Orleans ...

... and truck floats, generally sponsored by local businesses, are loaded down with masked and costumed party revelers who throw loads of beads, plastic cups, doubloons, candy, stuffed animals, panties (yes, panties but not their panties) and other trinkets called "throws" ...



out to people who are lined up all along the parade routes. If you happen to know somebody on a float and they happen to spot you along the parade route, it is tradition that you will definitely get bombed with bags and bags of beads and other trinkets, which will bring much delight to those around you!  

Happy Mardi Gras y'all.

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Let the good times roll!

A Rare Occurrence in South Mississippi

Well all that lovely spring-like weather that we've been experiencing here this winter has gone the wayside whilst some cold temperatures move on in for the next few days. The mercury has plummeted dramatically down 30 degrees since yesterday! I know for some of you temperatures in the 40s is not really that cold, but remember we are in the deep south and are a bit more accustomed to tropical weather down here. It's expected to get down in the high 20s tonight and possibly in the teens in the coming days - so our weatherman says. That's darned cold for us southerners! The worse part of such a dramatic shift of course, is that over the next few days, I expect everybody will be gettin' sick.  Happens every time there are big temporary shifts in the temperature, because I guarantee you, it will be back in the 70s before long.  Ugh.

Anyway, even though my Peri-Menopausal Temperature Regulator does a pretty good job keepin' me plenty warm most of the time (and mostly that is unwelcomed heat), today I've been runnin' a little on the cold side.  Rather than run the central heat in the house though, I got a hankerin' to build me a fire instead.  Course hubs wasn't home when I got this idea, so out I traipsed to the wood pile before the sun set, dug down through the center of it (hoping not to run across any creatures hiding out in there) to find the best wood, and drug a whole wheelbarrow full of it to the back door. 

Now, I really hate artificial sources of heat when it's cold - I love a wood fire the most; second to that would be a gas fire, but I really hate central electric heat, which is our primary source of home heating down here in the south, so it has to get pretty cold in here before I'll turn the heat on (course just yesterday, the air conditioner was on!). And, there aren't many occasions in South Mississippi that we get to experience the warmth of a wood burning fire (never mind that I am actually allergic to smoke...), so it truly is a rare occurrence for us.  

Well, I'm gonna take it and so I thought I would share a picture of my cozy fire with ya'll. It feels so warm on my bare feet, and my male cat who totally loves a fire, and who was at the fireplace as soon as I started putting the kindling down (he is no dummy), is now all curled up at my feet in front of it and as comfy and content as can possibly be.

Keep an eye out for upcoming posts on my oven roasted hen (including a tutorial on how to truss one), herb dressing and southern style green beans. I just have to get it all typed up.  

In the meantime, stay warm everybody!

[Fire photo:  Canon Rebel XTi 50 mm, f/2.8 for 1/20 sec.]

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