Culture of Louisiana facts for kids

Louisiana Alligator

The culture of Louisiana is super unique! It's all about its amazing music, delicious food, different religions, cool clothing, and fun festivals. Louisiana is special because of its strong French culture. This comes from many French-speaking people who moved there long ago. African-American culture is also a very important part of Louisiana. While New Orleans is the biggest city and has a huge influence, other parts of the state, both big and small, add to Louisiana's special identity.

Religions in Louisiana

The first non-Native American religion in Louisiana was Roman Catholicism. This was because French and Spanish people, who were mostly Catholic, controlled Louisiana a long time ago. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Protestantism came to the area. Groups like Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterians arrived. Later, Lutherans, often German immigrants, joined them.

Today, Louisiana is still a mix of many different religions. Newer immigrants have brought Buddhism and Islam to the state. Also, Voodoo is often practiced in southern Louisiana, especially in New Orleans.

Louisiana's Music Scene

A jazz musician playing a trumpet.

New Orleans is famous for its deep roots in jazz music. Jazz started as a unique mix, like a "musical gumbo," in this lively city. Creole culture had a big impact on how jazz grew.

Businesswomen in New Orleans helped jazz music develop by hosting parties. Also, French Creoles in Louisiana greatly influenced the growth of jazz around the early 1900s.

Delicious Louisiana Food

Louisiana is known for its amazing Cajun cuisine, Creole cuisine, and Native American foods.

Creole food mixes traditional French cooking with Spanish, African, and Indian flavors. Cajun food is one of the most popular types of food in the United States. People in Southern Louisiana often say they "live to eat" because food is so important to them!

While Cajun and Creole food is famous in South Louisiana, North Louisiana also has its own special dishes. They often eat southern-style soul food. This includes dishes like smothered pork chops, chicken and dumplings, candied yams, and fried chicken. Natchitoches is famous for its meat pies.

For many years, crawfish were mostly eaten only in Cajun country. People north of Alexandria often ate fried chicken or barbecue instead. Fish fries with catfish were popular. But today, boiled crawfish is enjoyed all over the state!

Other popular foods in Louisiana include gumbo, etouffée, jambalaya, muffuletta, po'boy, and red beans and rice. Seafood is very popular, either as an ingredient or a main dish. This includes shrimp, crawfish, crabs, oysters, and catfish. Foods from the swamp like gator, frog legs, and turtle soup are popular around the bayous of south Louisiana.

For desserts and snacks, famous treats include king cake, beignets, pralines, sweet potato pie, and pecan pie.

Festivals and Fun Carnivals

Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans.

Mardi Gras started in Europe a long time ago. It came to France and then to French colonies like Louisiana. The French custom of celebrating "Boeuf Gras," which means "fattened calf," spread.

New Orleans was founded in 1718. By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated publicly there, but without the big parades we see today. In the early 1740s, the governor of Louisiana, Marquis de Vaudreuil, started fancy social balls. These inspired the Mardi Gras parties in New Orleans today.

The word "Carnival" for Mardi Gras first appeared in a report in 1781. That year, many clubs and carnival groups started in New Orleans. The first one was the Perseverance Benevolent & Mutual Aid Association.

The Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival began in 1972. The Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce and a local group wanted to celebrate the town's big strawberry harvest. The first festival had only 11 booths and about 15,000 visitors. Now, it's the state's second-largest free event, bringing in over 300,000 people every year!

Strawberries, a popular fruit in Louisiana.

Sports in Louisiana

Sports are super popular in Louisiana! American football is the most loved sport across the state. Other popular sports include basketball and baseball. Fun outdoor activities like hunting and fishing are also very popular. Because of this, Louisiana is often called "Sportsman's Paradise." Since 1958, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame has honored the best athletes in the state's history. Louisiana has many sports teams for high school, college, and professional players.

In Louisiana, kids often learn to love sports from a young age. Many grow up playing them. A family's love for sports is often passed down through generations. This is why so many young people choose to play sports in high school.

Professional Sports Teams

• New Orleans Saints (NFL) - New Orleans
• New Orleans Pelicans (NBA) - New Orleans

College Sports Teams

LSU football players at the White House.

• Grambling State Tigers - Grambling
• Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns - Lafayette
• Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks - Monroe
• Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and Lady Techsters - Ruston
• LSU Tigers - Baton Rouge
• McNeese State Cowboys and Cowgirls - Lake Charles
• New Orleans Privateers - New Orleans
• Nicholls State Colonels - Thibodaux
• Northwestern State Demons - Natchitoches
• Southeastern Louisiana Lions - Hammond
• Southern Jaguars - Baton Rouge
• Tulane Green Wave - New Orleans

High School Sports

• Louisiana High School Athletic Association

Famous Stadiums and Arenas