[ti:Thousands Decorate Their Homes for Mardi Gras during Pandemic] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Each year, the city of New Orleans in the State of Louisiana [00:06.36]holds a celebration known as Mardi Gras. [00:11.32]This year, traditional activities have been canceled [00:16.44]because of the coronavirus health crisis. [00:21.28]But, many houses around the city are now preparing for the special week. [00:29.28]The Mardi Gras celebration often involves a parade [00:34.64]with people dressing in colorful clothes [00:38.56]and special vehicles covered in decorations called floats. [00:45.52]What is known as Carnival season [00:48.96]begins in early January and ends in February. [00:54.08]Mardi Gras is one of several Carnival celebrations [00:59.64]in traditionally Roman Catholic parts of the world. [01:04.72]The celebrations are held the day before Catholics [01:09.16]begin the religious observance of Lent. [01:13.68]Even before the city announced its plans, [01:17.60]some groups decided they would not be parading for the 2021 Mardi Gras. [01:25.52]Safer choices include handing out gifts from a streetcar [01:30.64]and organizing outdoor art and virtual parades. [01:36.36]The "house float" movement started in November [01:40.24]after a government official said the parade would be canceled. [01:46.04]The term "house float" describes homes [01:49.80]decorated as if they were Mardi Gras floats. [01:54.08]Megan Joy Boudreaux lives in New Orleans. [01:58.84]She started the Krewe of House Floats group. [02:04.12]She wrote on Twitter: "We're doing this. Turn your house into a float [02:10.80]and throw all the beads from your attic at your neighbors walking by." [02:17.84]Her Tweet was meant as a joke. [02:21.16]But, the more she thought about it, [02:24.68]the more she realized she liked the idea. [02:28.08]When she created the Krewe of House Floats, [02:32.36]she thought only a few friends and family would join. [02:37.68]But there are now 39 smaller groups [02:41.24]to help plan for different areas in the city. [02:46.44]"I didn't think I was starting a Mardi Gras krewe. [02:50.76]Here I am," Boudreaux said. [02:53.96]"I've got myself a second full-time job." [02:58.24]January 6 was the official first day of Carnival season [03:04.24]and the group already has more than 9,000 members. [03:10.76]Three thousand of the members are from other states or countries. [03:17.28]There is even an online map of people who are decorating their houses. [03:24.56]Charlotte "Charlie" Jallans-Daly is one of two mapmakers for the project. [03:32.76]She said people as far away as England and Australia [03:37.40]are showing their houses online. [03:41.68]This year, the Mardi Gras celebration will be on February 16. [03:48.56]Houses are to be decorated at least two weeks before. [03:54.08]The hope is that people will spread out widely [03:58.00]and see the homes during different times. [04:02.52]The Facebook group includes people teaching each other skills [04:07.84]and discussions about advertisements and neighborhood themes. [04:13.96]Artists are also giving lessons over the internet. [04:19.28]Some neighborhoods want to show an idea behind their decorations. [04:25.96]Katie Bankens wanted the theme for her neighborhood [04:30.16]to be based on Shark Week, a week of television programs about sharks. [04:37.44]Boudreaux, of the Krewe of House Floats, [04:41.16]suggested people help employ and buy [04:44.68]from out-of-work Carnival artists and suppliers. [04:49.72]They were affected by the parade cancellation. [04:53.92]Many more artists have gotten involved. [04:57.72]Dominic "Dom" Graves is an artist who has organized [05:02.64]more than 20 five-person classes in professional paper-mache methods. [05:10.84]Each person pays $100 to learn how to create art [05:16.16]for the celebration out of paper, water and flour. [05:22.40]Devin DeWulf is an artist from New Orleans. [05:27.00]He started two aid groups [05:29.64]to help the community during the health crisis. [05:34.04]He runs another social group: the Krewe of Red Beans. [05:39.20]Caroline Thomas is an expert float designer and is working with DeWulf. [05:46.00]They created the "Hire a Mardi Gras Artist" program. [05:50.60]They are collecting money for groups of artists [05:53.88]to help decorate 11 houses and seven businesses. [05:59.68]One of the houses to be decorated [06:02.36]is rented by Sisters Mary Ann Specha and Julie Walsh. [06:08.08]They are Catholic religious workers [06:10.92]who operate a shelter for homeless women with children. [06:16.04]They received permission for the project [06:18.88]from their organization in Dubuque, Iowa. [06:23.68]DeWulf said decorations made by the artists [06:28.20]could be sold to raise more money. [06:30.92]"We've put about 40 people to work, [06:34.48]which is nice," DeWulf said. [06:38.40]I'm Armen Kassabian. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM