Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen
It was a busy extended weekend with the twin holidays of Midsummer, the longest day of the year, and St. John’s Eve, New Toulouse’s biggest fete of the year.
Baron Klaus Wulfenbach and his lovely wife Zantabraxus
Midsummer and all of its mischief were welcomed in this year by a Midsummer Night’s Scream masquerade ball. The ball was organized by Miz Arijah Ankh Khalid-Zyn and yours truly, and the theme this year was “Vampires and Fairies,” which pretty much meant all magical creatures were welcome.
New Toulouse turned out in its dark and glimmering finery and tore it up with DJ Gamaliel of Dance With the Dead Radio, who was generous enough to have the revelers donate to the Gumbo Society instead of his own coffers by way of traditional tips.
Miz Ari draped New Toulouse’s Spiegel Hall in black and green regalia and provided delicious traditional food. She included the recipe for each dish, so one could recreate the enchanted morsels easily in one’s own Unseelie-free kitchen. I provided the booze and had some O-negative on hand for the translucent and thirsty vamps who showed up. We didn’t want them eating the fae, after all.
Nearly L$2,500 was raised for the Gumbo Society, making Gumbo, the society’s mascot, one happy donkey.
Aodhan
Miss Burke
St. John’s Eve, organized by Miss Maggie Hawksby and Miss Tilda Brown, was also a huge success.
The bayou was all dressed up in tradition so powerful that many of the mighty loa slipped into corporeal splendor to dance with the partiers. Baron Samedi, Papa Legba, and Mama Oshun were among the divine attendees, and they mixed it up famously with the many residents of New Toulouse, as everyone danced to the splendid spinning of Holocluck Henly and his psychedelic shades.
Dancing around the bonfire to goatskin drums and zydeco beats was a glorious way to celebrate this most sacred night, and while not present in the flesh, the very essence of Marie Laveau was there leading the revelry and celebrating with her beloved loa.
The night sky was resplendent as the merrymakers spun beneath the celestial umbrella.
For more images of both events, visit Miss Maggie’s photo albums:
• Midsummer Night’s Scream
• St. John’s Eve Celebration
It is safe to say that summer and all of its mischief are well and truly here. Enjoy the season!
Miss Maggie and Mama Oshun drumming
Salome Starsmith is the owner and manager of the Severed Head pub in New Toulouse and lives on the bayou in a tall, stilted house with her dog Edouard, hoping zombies cannot climb stairs.