NEW ORLEANS — Amid the music, food and fanfare of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival is a sight some may find surprising: a funeral procession.
Fest-goers hold up cameras and iPhones as a brass band leads a procession of mourners holding photographs of their beloved departed. The group includes dancers with feather-fans strutting and swaying, hoisting umbrellas and waving handkerchiefs.
While typically only seen on city streets, the uniquely New Orleans tradition known as a jazz funeral has become common at Jazz Fest, the annual celebration of music and culture that takes place over two weekends every spring.
Two funerals were held last weekend.
The second weekend kicked off Thursday. The dancing began immediately as Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters launched into a set featuring lively Cajun fiddle and accordion.