[ti:Pandemic Mardi Gras: No Crowds, Lots of Cake] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:01.20]In the American city of New Orleans, the Carnival season began [00:06.56]– as it always does - on January 6. [00:11.28]But the coronavirus crisis has put an end to the huge celebrations [00:17.36]that bring thousands of people to the city each year. [00:22.72]The Mardi Gras season runs until Fat Tuesday, [00:26.76]which this year falls on February 16. [00:32.96]The season is usually marked by colorful parties and large parades. [00:40.16]Costumed riders throw small gifts, like plastic jewelry, [00:45.80]to the massive crowds of people that walk along parade paths. [00:52.08]The coronavirus has halted those big events. [00:57.56]But that has not stopped highly creative people in New Orleans [01:02.72]from coming up with socially distant ways to celebrate. [01:08.72]The Krewe de Jeanne d'Arc offers one example. [01:13.68]It is a club that pays honor every Mardi Gras to the fallen French warrior hero. [01:23.60]The group normally parades through the French Quarter neighborhood [01:28.16]at the official start of the Carnival season. [01:33.08]But this year, the group held a "Tableaux de Jeanne d'Arc" event. [01:39.68]The word "tableau" is a French term for "living picture." [01:45.28]A tableau is a costumed group of people who do poses. [01:52.24]This year, members of the public [01:54.84]drove by the many "living pictures" of the Jeanne d'Arc. [02:01.32]These tableaux included stations where members dressed as warriors, [02:07.76]sharpened their weapons and ate at a fireplace with a pig roasting nearby. [02:15.84]"Life as usual is gone, so we had to look for different ways [02:21.36]of doing things this year," said Antoinette de Alteriis. [02:27.40]She is one of the club's leaders. [02:31.28]The Phunny Phorty Phellows is another Mardi Gras krewe, or club. [02:38.40]Members usually gather at the beginning of the season [02:42.76]for a costumed party on a streetcar. [02:47.48]Crowds of people gather at the place [02:51.08]where the streetcar starts the club's parading. [02:56.44]But this year, people were asked to spread out [03:00.64]along the streetcar's path and watch from there instead. [03:06.84]However, people can still eat cake — king cake that is. [03:13.16]The sweet cakes are a tradition that is more than 100 years old. [03:20.08]They are decorated with the official Mardi Gras colors of purple, [03:25.92]green and gold and eaten during the Carnival season. [03:33.20]In Mobile, Alabama, dozens of parades, [03:37.04]balls and other events also have been canceled. [03:43.08]The city, which sits in the Gulf of Mexico, [03:46.80]calls itself the birthplace of Mardi Gras. [03:51.48]That is because celebrations began there [03:55.48]a few years earlier than in New Orleans. [04:00.40]Coastal Alabama usually begins its season [04:04.88]later in January than New Orleans. [04:09.12]So the current rise in coronavirus infections [04:13.12]could be easing by the time events are set to start. [04:18.12]But many organizations began [04:22.00]announcing cancellations last month [04:25.16]to protect the health of members and party-goers. [04:30.00]I'm Alice Bryant. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM