March 4th was a beautiful sunny day, and in celebration of Mardi Gras, also called Fat Tuesday, students dressed in colorful accessories as the Huntington Beach High School (HBHS) marching band performed a walking parade around campus. This performance, including about fifty students, was decorated with beaded necklaces, green and purple masks, and peppy instruments to celebrate the joyous holiday.
Johnny Hernandez, a band member involved in the event, said, “[We] brought a bunch of cool colorful cords and stuff for us to wear, and we had the Mardi Gras masks, made of a bunch of green and purple beads.”
As the band paraded around campus, many students sat observing, enjoying their lunch in tandem with the uplifting Mardi Gras Jazz.
Their tune was beautiful, yet momentary. While the event was exciting to observe, a couple of the student body wished for an opportunity to engage more with the band and the celebrating crowd.
“I feel like if they went through most of the school instead of just freshman hill, that’d be nice, but again, it’s hard because it’s lunchtime, and everyone’s just eating around,” said Delaney Clark, a freshman watching the event from the amphitheater.
Starting from the auditorium, they marched around and through the breezeway, down past the quad, and finished in front of the amphitheater back to the starting point. It lasted no longer than seven minutes from start to finish; however, the marching band and the crowd participants spent much more time prior to this event practicing and rehearsing for the celebration.
“The band usually prepares a few weeks in advance to learn the songs they need to do,” said Hayden Nguyen, a participant tasked with handing out candy to those watching.
Although not as decadent as actual Mardi Gras foods, the candy consisted of a mix of gummy bears, chocolate, hard candy, and nerds. This year, same as the year before, the APA council was left responsible for handing out candy to the watching students.
The HBHS band is always engaged and festive at school events. For those participating in Lent or the Mardi Gras traditions this year, it is lovely to know that the school uplifts and celebrates all those involved in Mardi Gras.
