NEW ORLEANS — There’s a lot to love about the Irish Channel’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, but when it comes to the throws, there’s one that rises above the rest – the coveted parade cabbage.
Traditionally, potatoes, onions and citrus were thrown from floats too, but they’ve been banned this year for safety and insurance reasons.
For some people, it wasn’t a welcome change.
“We’re here catching groceries and we don’t want to stop catching the groceries no matter what they are,” Williams Treuting said. “And please, let them throw potatoes, throw lemons, let them throw limes. What are we supposed to be, bland?”
But the cabbages aren’t just being thrown. March through the Irish Channel on parade day and you’ll see plenty of cabbage-inspired fashion mixed into the sea of green.
Midge Howe makes headdresses under the name “Mambo Midge” and made a special cabbage headpiece with matching glasses and earrings for the occasion.
“I did king cake glasses for Mardi Gras and then obviously, you’ve got to catch your cabbage. So, I made the glasses for today,” she said.
But even if cabbage isn’t your thing, there’s still so much to love about this uniquely Irish and uniquely New Orleans tradition.
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