Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler with a N'Awlins Style Party! 

By Barbara Bradford 

For many people, young and not-so-young, Halloween is their favorite holiday of the year. Regardless of whether you’re going out to trick-or-treat for the very first time, or if you’re a mean ol’ witch who stays home to see who - or what - shows up on your doorstep, there’s a kind of magic in the air. What better time to call out the ghoulies and ghosties and inject a little New Orleans ‘mojo’ into your Halloween event?

New Orleans is a special city in so many ways, and is probably one of the two or three most unique cities in the United States. Regardless of how things are done in other parts of our country, the folks of New Orleans always know how to put a special twist on any holiday to make it their very own. Of course, the culture of the ‘City that Care Forgot’ adds to every holiday unique traditions, food and beverages, music, rituals, costumes - just about anything you can think of, actually!

One of the especially unique aspects of New Orleans’ culture relates to Voodoo. A religion brought to the city by African slaves hundreds of years ago, Voodoo has so permeated the city that references to it have become a part of everyday life. Writes author Judi Russell, “Some New Orleanians practice the religion regularly, attending festivals, performing rituals and calling upon the spirits to guide them. For many others, though, Voodoo exists on the fringes - they may be faithful Catholics, Protestants or Jews, but they think nothing of wearing Voodoo charms, talking about ‘gris-gris’ or visiting the tomb of Marie Laveau.”

Creating a party environment that pulls together the costumes, decorations, rituals, food, and music of New Orleans is a fantastic and fun opportunity to combine Voodoo with Halloween. Here’s the know-how to help you do it, or you can do it yourself!

You’re Invited to a Voodoo Hoodoo
The invitation to a Voodoo Halloween event sets the entire tone for the party. Go all out and have a designer, like The Invitation Lady, create a custom invitation for your party, or make your own like the one pictured here from GreetingBee.com. Take advantage of ghoulish imagery, like gothic or ‘bloody’ fonts, skulls, snakes, and serpents, to make the most of your theme.

Creating the Atmosphere
Decorations for the party should reflect aspects of Voodoo rituals. Purchase rubber chickens to hang from the ceiling, plastic animal skulls, and rubber snakes from a party store. You’ll need lots of candlelight, too; the candles themselves can be placed on big platters that you can fill with sphagnum moss and skeletal ‘remains’. The moss grows on the live oak trees in Louisiana and can be purchased in bags at most nurseries or home improvement stores. It’s very inexpensive, so you can purchase a lot and try hanging it from your backyard trees as well.

The menu should, of course, include chicken gumbo. Plan to use the clean, boiled bones from your chicken legs as part of your décor; string up the bones like wind chimes, or suspend them on a string, and hang from chandeliers! Voodoo dolls can be ordered online from vendors in New Orleans, and are an essential part of the decorations and party favors. 

Finally, to make the atmosphere really authentic - and maybe a bit gross, lay out sliced beef or whole chicken livers on a slab of smoking dry ice - ewwwww, bloody and disgusting!
 
 

Music Brings Out the Magic
“The word ‘Voodoo’ and other terms related to the belief are so commonly used in New Orleans that it’s easy to get confused about what’s real and what’s folklore,” writes Russell. “Songs like Love Potion No. 9 and movies like Angel Heart, Skeleton Key, and The Serpent and the Rainbow have led most people to believe that Voodoo entails evil spells, cackling witch queens, zombies, and lots and lots of blood.”
 
The truth of the matter is that Voodoo influence shows up in New Orleans music in all kinds of ways, according to George Ingmire, a disk jockey at WWOZ.  “The drum rhythms, the Caribbean beat, the spiritualist influence, even early rock ‘n’ roll owe a debt to Voodoo,” Ingmire says. “Even today, drumming, singing, and dancing remain a prominent part of Voodoo rituals.”

Extend your Voodoo theme to your playlist with the tunes of Mac Rebennack, a musician who has gained worldwide fame with hits like Gris-gris, and his adopted persona of Dr. John the Night Tripper. Add to your list songs like Papa Celestine’s Marie Leveau (the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans), and the Eagles’ Witchy Woman. Round out the evening’s sounds with some Orleans style jazz and Zydeco.

Serve Up Some Cajun Food and Entertainment
Food is the most important aspect of any party, especially in New Orleans. Some of the best dishes come from The Food of New Orleans, Authentic Recipes from the Big Easy by John DeMers, published in 1998. If you can’t get your hands on a copy, try the recipes of celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse; just click the links below.

Serve a main course of Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, also called Gumbo Ya Ya (page 98 in DeMers’ cookbook). Remember to save the leftover chicken bones for decorations. The gumbo should be served with white rice and fresh, warm French bread. 

For a seafood entrée, try Crawfish Étouffée (page 92, DeMers). You can get frozen crawfish meat at AJ’s, which is a lot easier than boiling and peeling real crawfish the way it’s done in New Orleans! Etouffee is also served with white rice. A green salad goes well with both entrees. 

Finish up with the pièce de résistance, Bread Pudding with Whiskey or Rum Sauce (page 120, DeMers; increase the milk to two quarts and the eggs to five for a light and fluffy dessert). After baking, test the pudding with a knife in the center and it should come out clean. You can make bread pudding anytime as it’s a fabulous way to use stale French bread and it’s very inexpensive to make. You’ll lick the bowl with the sauce!

For live entertainment, try hiring a palm reader or a fire dancer.

To learn more about Voodoo, its customs, rituals, dancing, drums, and music, visit Bloody Mary’s New Orleans Tours, Events and Spirit Encounters or New Orleans Voodoo Crossroads. Or, contact Barbara Bradford of Events by Barbara.

Barbara Bradford grew up in New Orleans and graduated from Tulane University with a B.F.A. She is the owner and creative force behind Events by Barbara event planning, and of Weddings, Wakes, or Whatever! piano and musical accompaniment.