A City That Dances with the Dead
New Orleans is a city where the past is not just remembered—it is lived. Here, the air hums with the sound of jazz trumpets, the scent of beignets and café au lait mingles with the damp smell of the Mississippi, and the streets pulse with a rhythm that feels older than time. But beneath the vibrant surface lies a darker, richer history—one of Voodoo queens, vampire legends, and jazz funerals that blur the line between life and death.
This is not just a city of Mardi Gras beads and Bourbon Street revelry. It is a place where the spirits of the enslaved, the pirates, and the Creoles still walk the streets, where the dead are not just mourned but celebrated, and where the supernatural is as much a part of daily life as gumbo and po'boys. To walk through New Orleans is to step into a world where the veil between the living and the dead is thin, where the past is not just preserved but alive, and where the stories of Voodoo, vampires, and jazz funerals are not just legends—they are the heartbeat of the city.
The Roots of Voodoo: A Spiritual Legacy of Resistance
The Arrival of Voodoo in New Orleans
Voodoo did not originate in New Orleans, but it found its most powerful expression here. The practice came to the city with the enslaved Africans who were brought to Louisiana in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly from the Congo, Dahomey, and Senegal. These enslaved people brought with them their spiritual traditions, which blended with the Catholicism of the French and Spanish colonists and the folk magic of the Native Americans to create something entirely new: Louisiana Voodoo.
Unlike the Hollywood caricatures of pins in dolls and zombie curses, Voodoo in New Orleans is a complex spiritual tradition that honors the ancestors, invokes the loa (spirits), and seeks to heal and protect. It is a religion of resistance, a way for the enslaved to hold onto their culture and their power in a world that sought to strip them of both.
Marie Laveau: The Voodoo Queen of New Orleans
No figure is more synonymous with New Orleans Voodoo than Marie Laveau. Born in the early 1800s, Laveau was a free woman of color who became the most powerful Voodoo practitioner in the city. She was a healer, a spiritual leader, and a businesswoman, selling gris-gris (protective charms) and offering spiritual consultations to both the poor and the elite of New Orleans.
Laveau’s power was not just spiritual—it was political. She used her influence to help the enslaved and the marginalized, and her legend grew to mythic proportions. Some say she could control the weather, others that she could bring the dead back to life. Her tomb in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 is still a place of pilgrimage, where visitors leave offerings of coins, candles, and rum in the hope of receiving her blessings.
Today, Laveau’s legacy is everywhere in New Orleans. Her name is invoked in Voodoo shops, her image appears in murals, and her spirit is said to still walk the streets of the French Quarter. Some claim to have seen her ghost near her old home on St. Ann Street, dressed in a turban and a long, flowing dress, her presence as powerful in death as it was in life.
The Voodoo Shops of the French Quarter
Walk down Royal Street in the French Quarter, and you will pass any number of Voodoo shops, their windows filled with dolls, candles, and bottles of potions. These shops are not just tourist attractions—they are living connections to the city’s spiritual past. Many are run by practitioners who trace their lineage back to Laveau and the enslaved Africans who first brought Voodoo to New Orleans.
One of the most famous is the Voodoo Authentica shop, where the owner, a practicing Voodoo priestess, offers spiritual consultations and sells handmade gris-gris. She will tell you that Voodoo is not about curses or dark magic—it is about healing, protection, and connecting with the spirits of the ancestors. But she will also warn you that the spirits of New Orleans are not to be trifled with. The city, she says, is a place where the dead are always close, and where the past is never truly past.
The Vampires of New Orleans: From Legend to Pop Culture
The Real Vampires of the French Quarter
New Orleans has long been associated with vampires, but the city’s vampire lore is not just a product of Hollywood. The legend of the vampire in New Orleans has its roots in the city’s history of violence, disease, and the macabre. In the 19th century, the city was plagued by yellow fever, a disease that turned its victims pale and gaunt, their bodies often buried in haste before they were truly dead. Some say that these "premature burials" gave rise to the vampire myths, as the newly buried would sometimes claw their way out of their coffins, only to be mistaken for the undead.
But the most famous vampire legend in New Orleans is that of the Casket Girls. According to the story, a group of young women were brought to the city from France in the early 18th century, their dowries carried in small, mysterious caskets. When the caskets were opened, they were found to contain not gold or jewels, but vampires. The women, it was said, drained the life from the men of New Orleans, leaving them pale and weak. Some believe that the Casket Girls still haunt the French Quarter, their spirits lingering in the old buildings where they once lived.
The Vampire Cafés and the Undead Subculture
In the 1990s, New Orleans became a hub for the vampire subculture, with clubs and cafés catering to those who identified as "real vampires"—people who believe they need to consume blood or psychic energy to survive. The most famous of these was the Vampire Café, a dimly lit establishment where patrons could sip on "blood" cocktails and discuss the finer points of vampire lore.
The café was part of a larger movement in New Orleans, where the vampire subculture thrived in the shadows of the French Quarter. Some of these self-proclaimed vampires were serious practitioners of occult rituals; others were simply drawn to the romanticism of the undead. But all of them contributed to the city’s reputation as a place where the line between the living and the dead is thin.
Anne Rice and the Vampire Chronicles
No discussion of New Orleans vampires would be complete without mentioning Anne Rice, the author who made the city synonymous with the undead. Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, particularly Interview with the Vampire, are set in a gothic, romanticized New Orleans, where vampires lurk in the shadows of the French Quarter and the Garden District.
Rice’s novels drew on the city’s real history of violence, disease, and spiritualism, blending them with her own mythos to create a world where the undead are as much a part of the city as the jazz musicians and the Voodoo priests. Today, fans of Rice’s books can take vampire tours of the French Quarter, visiting the sites that inspired her stories and learning about the real history that shaped them.
The Jazz Funerals: When Death Becomes a Celebration
The Origins of the Jazz Funeral
New Orleans is famous for its jazz funerals, a tradition that blends African spiritual practices, Catholic ritual, and the city’s love of music. The jazz funeral is not just a way to mourn the dead—it is a celebration of life, a send-off that turns the streets into a parade and the cemetery into a dance floor.
The tradition dates back to the 19th century, when enslaved Africans and free people of color in New Orleans developed their own funeral rites. These rites combined the solemnity of Catholic processions with the rhythmic, communal mourning of West African traditions. The result was a funeral that was both a lament and a party, where the dead were honored with music, dance, and the sharing of food and drink.
The Second Line
The most famous part of the jazz funeral is the second line, a procession of mourners, musicians, and dancers that follows the coffin through the streets. The second line is led by a brass band, playing slow, mournful dirges on the way to the cemetery and upbeat, celebratory tunes on the way back. The shift from sorrow to joy is a reflection of the African belief that death is not an end but a transition, and that the spirits of the dead live on in the music and the memories of the living.
The second line is open to anyone who wants to join, and it is not uncommon to see strangers dancing alongside the family of the deceased. This inclusivity is a hallmark of New Orleans culture, where the boundaries between the living and the dead, between family and community, are fluid and porous.
The Funeral of a Jazz Legend
One of the most famous jazz funerals in New Orleans history was that of Danny Barker, a jazz musician and storyteller who died in 1994. Barker’s funeral drew thousands of mourners, who followed the brass band through the streets of the Treme neighborhood, dancing and singing in celebration of his life. The funeral was a testament to the power of the jazz funeral tradition, and to the way New Orleans honors its dead.
Today, the jazz funeral is still a vital part of the city’s culture. It is a tradition that has been passed down through generations, a way for New Orleans to mourn its dead while celebrating the life and music that define the city.
The Haunted History of New Orleans: Ghosts of the Past
The LaLaurie Mansion: A House of Horrors
One of the most infamous haunted sites in New Orleans is the LaLaurie Mansion, a grand Greek Revival home in the French Quarter that was once the site of unspeakable cruelty. The mansion was owned by Delphine LaLaurie, a wealthy socialite who was revealed to be a sadistic torturer of her enslaved people. In 1834, a fire in the mansion exposed the horrors that had been taking place in its attic, where LaLaurie had chained and mutilated her victims.
The mansion is said to be haunted by the spirits of LaLaurie’s victims, who are still heard screaming in the night. Some claim to have seen the ghost of a young girl, her body covered in wounds, wandering the halls of the mansion. Others say that the spirit of LaLaurie herself still lingers, her presence a reminder of the cruelty that once took place there.
The Ghosts of the French Quarter
The French Quarter is the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, and it is also the most haunted. The narrow streets and old buildings are said to be filled with the spirits of the enslaved, the pirates, and the victims of yellow fever. Some of the most famous ghosts include:
- Jean Lafitte: The pirate and smuggler who is said to haunt the old Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, where his spirit is still seen raising a glass of rum.
- The Ghost of the Quadroon Ballroom: A young woman who died of a broken heart after being abandoned by her lover, her spirit is said to dance in the ballroom on moonlit nights.
- The Phantom of the Andrew Jackson Hotel: A young boy who died in a fire in the 19th century, his ghost is still seen playing in the courtyard.
The Haunted Cemeteries
New Orleans is famous for its above-ground cemeteries, where the dead are buried in elaborate tombs due to the city’s high water table. These cemeteries are not just resting places—they are cities of the dead, where the spirits of the departed are said to linger.
One of the most haunted is St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, where the tomb of Marie Laveau is located. Visitors to the cemetery report seeing shadowy figures moving among the tombs, and some claim to have heard the sound of drumming and chanting, as if the spirits of the dead are still practicing the old rituals.
Another haunted cemetery is Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, where the ghost of a young girl is said to wander among the tombs. Some believe she is the spirit of a child who died in the yellow fever epidemic of the 19th century, her ghost still searching for her family.
The Living Traditions: How New Orleans Keeps Its Past Alive
The Voodoo Festivals
New Orleans is home to several Voodoo festivals, where practitioners and visitors gather to honor the spirits and celebrate the city’s unique spiritual heritage. The most famous of these is the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, a festival that blends music, art, and Voodoo ritual. But there are also smaller, more traditional festivals, like the St. John’s Eve Voodoo Festival, where practitioners gather at Congo Square to drum, dance, and invoke the loa.
These festivals are a way for New Orleans to keep its Voodoo traditions alive, and to share them with the world. They are also a reminder that Voodoo is not just a relic of the past—it is a living, breathing part of the city’s culture.
The Vampire Balls
New Orleans is also home to the Endless Night Vampire Ball, an annual event that draws vampires, goths, and occult enthusiasts from around the world. The ball is a celebration of the city’s vampire lore, with attendees dressing in elaborate gothic costumes and participating in rituals that honor the undead.
The ball is held in the French Quarter, often in historic buildings that are said to be haunted. It is a night of music, dance, and dark romance, a way for New Orleans to embrace its reputation as a city where the supernatural is always close.
The Jazz Funerals of Today
The jazz funeral tradition is still alive in New Orleans, though it has evolved over the years. Today, the funerals are not just for musicians—they are for anyone who has touched the city’s culture, from civil rights leaders to beloved bartenders. The second line is still a vital part of the tradition, and the brass bands that lead the processions are some of the best in the city.
One of the most famous recent jazz funerals was that of Fats Domino, the legendary musician who died in 2017. Thousands of mourners followed the procession through the streets of the Treme, dancing and singing in celebration of his life. The funeral was a testament to the enduring power of the jazz funeral tradition, and to the way New Orleans honors its dead.
The Future of New Orleans: Preserving the Past in a Changing City
The Threat of Gentrification
New Orleans is changing. The city has always been a place of resilience, surviving hurricanes, floods, and economic downturns. But in recent years, it has faced a new challenge: gentrification. As property values rise and the city becomes more attractive to outsiders, the traditions that define New Orleans—its music, its food, its spiritual practices—are at risk of being erased.
The French Quarter, once the heart of the city’s working-class culture, is now filled with luxury hotels and high-end boutiques. The Treme, the birthplace of jazz, is seeing an influx of wealthy buyers who are pricing out the longtime residents. And the Voodoo shops and jazz clubs that once defined the city are struggling to survive in a market that favors chain stores and tourist traps.
The Fight to Preserve Culture
But New Orleans is fighting back. Organizations like the Preservation Hall Foundation and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation are working to preserve the city’s musical and cultural heritage. Voodoo practitioners are passing down their traditions to a new generation, and the jazz funeral tradition is being kept alive by the city’s musicians.
The city is also embracing its past in new ways. The Backstreet Cultural Museum in the Treme documents the history of Mardi Gras Indians and jazz funerals, while the Voodoo Spiritual Temple offers classes and ceremonies to those who want to learn about the old ways. These efforts are a reminder that New Orleans is not just a city of the past—it is a city that is still evolving, still resisting, and still celebrating the traditions that make it unique.
The Lessons of the Past
New Orleans is a city that has always lived with its past. The slave trade, the Voodoo traditions, the jazz funerals—these are not just historical footnotes. They are the foundation of the city’s identity, the stories that shape its present and its future.
For those who visit New Orleans, the real magic is not in the tourist attractions or the haunted tours—it is in the way the city keeps its past alive. It is in the jazz funerals that turn mourning into celebration, in the Voodoo shops that honor the spirits of the ancestors, and in the vampire legends that remind us that the line between the living and the dead is thin.
In the end, New Orleans is not just a city—it is a living, breathing testament to the power of memory, of resistance, and of the human spirit. It is a place where the past is not just remembered but lived, where the dead are not just mourned but celebrated, and where the stories of Voodoo, vampires, and jazz funerals are not just legends—they are the heartbeat of the city.
References
- Long, C. (2007). A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau. University Press of Florida.
- Ward, M. (2004). Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau. University of Mississippi Press.
- Sublette, N. (2008). The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square. Lawrence Hill Books.
- The New York Times. (2018). The Real History of New Orleans Voodoo. nytimes.com
- The Guardian. (2019). The Jazz Funerals of New Orleans: A Celebration of Life. theguardian.com
- BBC Travel. (2020). The Vampires of New Orleans. bbc.com
- Atlas Obscura. (2021). The Haunted History of New Orleans. atlasobscura.com
- New Orleans Historical. (2021). The History of Jazz Funerals. neworleanshistorical.org
