New Orleans Is a Major United Statesport and the Largest City in the State of Louisiana

New Orleans is a major United Statesport and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. The population of the city is about 1,167,764 .

New Orleans is well known for its distinct French heritage, as well as its cross-cultural and multilingual atmosphere. New Orleans is also famous for its music (particularly as the birthplace of jazz), and its annual celebrations and festivals, most notably Mardi Gras. The city is often referred to as the "most unique" in America.

New Orleans was founded in 1718, by the French Mississippi Company, it was named for Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, who was Regent of France at the time. The city remained the French colony until 1803 when Napoleon sold the territory to the United States. Thereafter, the city grew rapidly andmajor commodity crops of sugar and cotton were cultivated on large plantations outside the city.

New Orleans is one of the top ten most visited cities in the United States; 10 million visitors come to New Orleans every year.

New Orleans has many attractions, the most famous of which is The French Quarter (known locally as Vieux Carré), which dates from the French era and is bounded by the Mississippi River. The district contains many popular hotels, bars, and nightclubs. Notable tourist attractions in the Quarter include Bourbon Street with its night clubs, St. Charles Avenue – home to the local university campus, Magazine Street with many boutique stores and antique shops. The Quarter has also lots of 18th and 19th century mansions.

St. Louis Cathedral - the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States, built in 1718. To tour the port, you can ride an authentic steamboat, which cruises the Mississippi twice daily. New Orleans has become widely known for its beautiful cemeteries and their distinct above-ground tombs that are often attractions in themselves. Many gothic subculture fans are said to travel in groups to New Orleans to visit the local cemeteries.

Of great interest in the French Quarter areThe Historic New Orleans Collection, a museum and research center housing art and artifacts relating to the history of New Orleans and the National World War II Museum, dedicated to providing information and materials related to the Invasion of Normandy. Nearby, Confederate Memorial Hall, the oldest continually operating museum in Louisiana, contains the largest collection of memorabilia relating to the history of the American Civil War.

The New Orleans area is home to numerous celebrations, the most popular of which is Carnival. Carnival officially begins on the Feast of the Epiphany. Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday"), the final and grandest day of festivities, is the last Tuesday before the Catholic liturgical season of Lent.

The largest of the city's many music festivals is the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Commonly referred to simply as "Jazz Fest", it is one of the largest music festivals in the nation, featuring crowds of people from all over the world, coming to experience music, food, arts, and crafts. Despite the name, it features not only jazz but a large variety of music.

New Orleans has always been a significant center for music, showcasing its intertwined European, Latin American, and African cultures. As the only North American city to allow slaves to gather in public and play their native music New Orleans gave birth to an indigenous music: jazz.

New Orleans' unique musical culture is further evident in its funerals. Traditional New Orleans funerals feature sad music played by the band on the way to the cemetery and happier music (hot jazz) on the way back. Such traditional musical funerals still take place. The locals prefer to call these "funerals with music", but visitors to the city have long called them "jazz funerals".

Much later in its musical development, New Orleans was home to a distinctive brand of rhythm and blues that contributed greatly to the growth of rock and roll. In the 1980s, it had developed its own localized variant of hip hop, called bounce music. While never commercially successful outside of the city it remains immensely popular in the neighborhoods of New Orleans.

The French language has always been very important to the city. Many street names have French names, you can see many road signs and posters in both English and French and many New Orleans inhabitants are proud of being fluent French speakers. All in all the city is often called “the most French city in America”.

New Orleans' colonial history of French settlement has resulted in a strong Catholic tradition. In New Orleans and the surrounding area, the predominant religion is Catholicism while the USA is predominantly a Protestant country.

New Orleans also notably has a presence of Voodoo. Although the image of Voodoo within the city has been highly promoted by the tourism industry, only a small number of people are serious adherents to this religion.

Voodoo was brought to the city from Africa and from Haiti. From 1719 to 1731, the majority of African slaves came from West Africa, bringing with them their cultural practices, languages, and religious beliefs rooted in spirit and ancestor worship. Their knowledge of herbs, poisons, and the ritual creation of charms and amulets, intended to protect oneself or harm others, became key elements of Voodoo. There are many shops and street vendours offering tourists a wide range of amulets and “magical portions” of all sorts. Voodoo has long entered the American mass culture. Some particular Voodoo rituals and superstitions are often mentioned in books, films and TV series.

New Orleans is also famous for its vampire folklore. Legend has it that in the 1800s it became fashionable among local young men to marry girls from Europe. Many French families sent their daughters here to marry.One girl arrived with rich trousseau which contained many boxes, packages and a…….coffin. Time and again her husband asked her about this coffin, which was kept in the attic, but she managed to get away with an answer. Once late at night, the man heard strange noise from the attic. He came up there and found the coffin open and empty. His wife disappeared the same night. Superstitious individuals of the time claimed that the girl had smuggled her vampire lover to the French Quarter and they ran away together.
Down Rue Royal there is the home of Jacques Germaine. He moved to New Orleans in 1903 and only occupied the home for a short time. It is said that during his time here he attacked and bit young women in his home, after luring them there for a glass of wine. One girl was able to escape however, and make it to the local authorities. Germaine mysteriously disappeared. However, the authorities upon entering his lair, found a collection of wine bottles, which were filled with human blood. Some say Germaine is still alive today, and visits the French Quarter occasionally.

The popularity of the New Orleans vampires was enhanced through the work of Anne Rice – a famous American author of horror / gothic fiction. Her best selling novel The Vampire Chronicles is set in the city.

New Orleans Vampire Tour isone of the most popular walking tours for visitors to the city. It allows you to enter the dark and mysterious world of the undead. You walk through New Orleans' history and experience the legends of famous New Orleans vampires, real and fictional. You visit sights and locations associated with these creatures and are provided with an eerie, chilling yet fun-filled adventure!

Tasks

Ex. 1 Answer the questions

1. Is New Orleans the largest city in the USA?
2. Was the city the French colony until 1803?
3. Is New Orleans famous for its food or French heritage?
4. What is English for Mardi Gras?
5. What kind of music was born in the city?
6. What is the predominant religion in the city?
7. Are werewolves an important part of the city folklore?
8. What languages are widely spoken in the city?

Ex. 2 Match the parts of the sentences

Bourbon street
St Charles Avenue
Magazine Street / -has many shops
-is famous for its night clubs
-is the location of the local university

Ex. 3 Where will you go in New Orleans if you….

1. want to learn more about the New Orleans history
2. want to learn more about the American Civil War

Ex. 4 Complete the sentences

1. New Orleans gave birth to an indigenous music, because the city allowed African slaves…………
2. Crowds of the goths are said to travel to New Orleans to…………………
3. Jazz lovers are attracted to the city’s many music festivals, the largest of which is………….
4. Voodoo was brought to the States by……………….who brought with them their………………
5. One of the best ways to tour the city is to ride…………………….which cruises…………………
6. Carnival is the most popular annual cultural celebration the last day of which is known as……………………
7. Many tourists go on the New Orleans Vampire Tour because it…………………and experience the city’s history and legends.
8. New Orleans musical culture is evident in its traditional funerals that feature……….. and are called…………………..by the visitors
9. The most famous vampire in the city lived in Rue Royal and is known to………………..after luring them to his lair for…………………….