00:00:06:00 - 00:00:26:18 Unknown Do that is so crazy. Why would I act like this? Why? Why am I dancing like this? You guys all right? Hi. Welcome back to Toke It Out. My name is Maddy Tokes. What are we talking about today? Another thing. Spooky. Who would have guessed? Yeah. No, sorry. We've been on this spooky kick. I don't know why. I guess I told you this was a cannabis podcast. 00:00:26:18 - 00:00:50:24 Unknown Other than the fact that I took it out every single time, and then we get into it, but, you know, and also, I'm Maddie Tok's, so it makes sense. So today first today we are talking about New Orleans, specifically some of the burial practices and the cemeteries that are in New Orleans and how they became such like dead cities and stuff. 00:00:50:34 - 00:01:07:13 Unknown Whatever. We'll get into it. You'll see. You'll see first, and I'm probably going to talk about this for at least 3 to 5 minutes. So let's go ahead and skip ahead if you don't care and just want to get into the New Orleans stuff. But look guys, you know, I talk about all the things that I really love. 00:01:07:13 - 00:01:33:06 Unknown And right now I am so locked into Big Brother. I get it, I get it. It's not for everybody. I don't know, it feels like I'm the only freaking person that I know who watches Big Brother, but it is getting spicy this season that's coming about. I heard about the cast we've got returning players who are just like, in my opinion, you know, kind of harsh players and stuff. 00:01:33:10 - 00:01:54:52 Unknown It's getting wild. Who do I think is going to win Loki? Well, well is like on my list to win, if not America's favorite. Because who else would America's favorite be? Like? Who else would it be? Actually for real? Who else would it be? I don't know, I think it would be. I mean, maybe Keanu, but like, who knows? 00:01:54:52 - 00:02:21:41 Unknown You just you have to be on one side or the other anyways. Who will is definitely going to win. That's my predictions. If you're listening to this on the day that this comes out, which is 9.90, lucky day, I don't know, is it? Maybe not. There have been some predictions online that say that a certain redheaded game player may or may not have been evicted via the live feeds. 00:02:21:41 - 00:02:41:24 Unknown This little spoiler spoiler I don't know out there it's not confirmed because I haven't watched the live feed, so I don't know. So I'm going off of what I saw online. And if it's that I deep fake drama crap that is out there, sorry, I'm I'm only one person and and I fell for those bunnies on a trampoline, so whatever. 00:02:41:24 - 00:03:06:55 Unknown It doesn't matter. Anyways. If you're watching Big Brother, let me know because I'm, I'm I'm interested. I want to get into it anyways. It's my like it's my summer traders. Okay, listen, I know everybody's into traders. If you're into traders you might like Big Brother. You might really like Big Brother because it's not a lot of like survival, but a lot of like mental, like willpower. 00:03:06:55 - 00:03:32:11 Unknown So get into that. Anyways, let's get into New Orleans here. So New Orleans there is so much history that you could get into. You could get into Marie Laveau, you could get into the Axeman You could get into the great fire in the cemeteries was kind of what we're going to talk about. You could get into a deep into like the diseases and the whatever. 00:03:32:20 - 00:04:00:52 Unknown So let's talk about one of the most famous cemeteries in New Orleans. And that's going to be Saint Louis Cemetery. Number one. Saint Louis Cemetery number one was formed in 1789. And that was one year after the Great Fire of 1788. Now they did this because it destroyed about 80% of the city. They realized that they could not do underground cemeteries between fires and flooding and the catastrophe that would happen to New Orleans. 00:04:00:52 - 00:04:25:38 Unknown So they decided to build aboveground cemeteries. Now, what was the great fire of 1788? Well, the Great Fire of 1788, in New Orleans, apparently there's more than 1 in 1788, which is just horrible. I'm sorry this happened. A lit candle on an altar on Good Friday knocked over and started it on fire. Now you got to realize that, like these drapes and stuff. 00:04:25:38 - 00:04:53:33 Unknown I mean, these aren't like, these are velvety, like, you know, drapes. These are. So they're going to go up in flames very quickly. Pair that with the fact that most of these buildings are made out of wood. This fire spread so incredibly quickly they rang the bell tower like the church bells for fire alarms and stuff. But, I mean, it literally consumed 856 buildings in less than five hours. 00:04:53:43 - 00:05:18:59 Unknown Catastrophic. So that was March 21st, 1788. I chose just talking about it. That's kind of crazy. So with fire and with flooding, there was no way to keep these bodies underground. They would float, bodies would float up. Okay, so these cemeteries were built on high grounds just outside of the French quarters because burying them inside the city limits was like a sanitary issue because of the disease and stuff that people were dying from. 00:05:18:59 - 00:05:50:31 Unknown They didn't want that to be like, you know, above ground and just sitting there. So the cemetery was designed under Spanish colonial influence. And actually much of the French Quarter that we know today was also the same, because it was built right after this fire to be fireproof and to stand the test of time. So if you have never been to New Orleans, Saint Louis Cemetery, number one, I think that you have to pay a fee to get in and tour it just because there are so many famous people there, just through history and some really cool tombs. 00:05:50:36 - 00:06:17:26 Unknown It's the oldest cemetery in the city, so it is rich with history or absolutely rich with history. If you've never seen these kind of cemeteries. It's kind of this is like a miniature city because there are high walls around it. It's got narrow, really narrow little streets in between whitewashed crypts. It obviously, if you've watched American Horror Story Coven, you've seen them walk through the cemetery. 00:06:17:31 - 00:06:48:52 Unknown Is that Saint Louis Cemetery number one? I don't know in particular which one that is, but it's less than a city block big, and it has over 700 tombs. So you can imagine how high these tombs stack, how you know how many people are on top of each other, how many crypts there are and such. It's wild nicknames and who that because they are stacked like that, they it looks like, you know, condominiums, apartments of people, of dead people in this like narrow little street. 00:06:48:52 - 00:07:22:23 Unknown So it is very eerie. All of the cemeteries there are very eerie. Now. I've never been to this cemetery in particular, but I have been to and Saint Louis Cemetery number two, the Lafayette Cemetery, one of those to one you didn't have to pay to get into. I remember walking into this cemetery. I mean, my husband did, and we are hit with this wall of like, just absolute dread and sadness and, like, negative energy. 00:07:22:28 - 00:07:44:18 Unknown And I don't know if it's because me and him are just like, you know, we both consider ourselves like, really empathetic, sensitive people and not necessarily like paranormal sensitive, but just empathetic people. So to like, feel that energy just was so heavy. And I mean, I was like walking around and I was trying to be like really respectful of the graves and stuff. 00:07:44:18 - 00:08:03:59 Unknown But it is a sight to see there. I mean, there are graves from 1816, you know, I think that was one of the oldest ones. I saw maybe 17 something, but it was these were incredibly old, incredibly heavy places to be. When we left, I walked out of there backwards because I was like, I don't not know what kind of energy. 00:08:03:59 - 00:08:23:52 Unknown I don't want to like to pretend like I'm just leaving it there. Whatever. Like it was never here. My husband did not. So we'll see how that goes. And that was eight years ago. It was totally fine. So actually, I want to tell you guys, some people that are buried in Saint Louis Cemetery, number one are obviously Marie Laveau, which is the most famous resident. 00:08:23:52 - 00:08:49:26 Unknown I'm sure she's the voodoo queen. She was portrayed in American Horror Story Coven. And as much as I wanted to, like, get into her lore and everything today, I don't I don't want to get too deep into it until I'm like, for sure about it. So I do know, like a little bit of her, her lore, but she was a basically a known healer and conjurer in New Orleans. 00:08:49:26 - 00:09:15:11 Unknown I will get into her lore a little bit later, but I want to get more into like the wider practices right now. But she is buried there. Oh, Homer Plessy, I can pronounce that. Homer Plessy, Marie Laveau, and guys, Nicolas Cage has a burial plot there, and his burial plot looks wild and insane. It looks like this pyramid. 00:09:15:16 - 00:09:40:44 Unknown It's. There's all this, like, classic architecture in this cemetery. And then there's a giant pyramid for Nicolas Cage. Why would he do that? Why? I mean, and, like, whatever, whatever. I'm not here to judge. I'm just wanting to know the reason. Like what? Purchased two plots in a cemetery. Is it both for him, or is he hoping to bury his partner there? 00:09:40:44 - 00:10:10:15 Unknown I don't know who his partner is. In 2010, he bought this. Okay. What does it say on there? Okay. Says in Latin, Omnia ab uno, which is everything from one or all from one. The nine foot marble pyramid, nine foot marble pyramid. This guy 2010. All right. So I really got to know. Oh, shit. I really got to know when the fuck. 00:10:10:22 - 00:10:36:36 Unknown Yeah. That's right. Somebody got a little into their own little team, into their national treasure role. National treasure came out in 2004. He buys that six years later. Is that a coincidence? In a cage. Are you really into national treasure? So much so that you got to be buried in a Omnia ab uno pyramid? What's that about? Questions. 00:10:36:45 - 00:11:03:31 Unknown What's that about? I just got to know because that's a that's not everybody's choice. That's not I've never heard of that choice before. Really. That's that's my favorite fact. No it's not it's not my favorite fact. That's one of my favorite facts though. For real. Okay. So some of the burial customs and practices there are super wild. And this was obviously back when they first were developing privacy. 00:11:03:36 - 00:11:37:58 Unknown When when did we ended? When when did you ever think that little boy was like do you ever any could you do you ever just in. Do you, do you ever just that's me. That's my brain all the time. They were using it in the 1920s. Okay. I just wanted to give you like a frame of reference. The other method for burials for New Orleans, also known as oven tombs or fours in French, has been used since and least the early 19th century. 00:11:37:58 - 00:12:01:19 Unknown The practice was a direct response to the city's high water table and frequent flooding, which made ground burials problematic. So not only were they doing aboveground tombs, but they were burying people with this oven method, and on the oven method, they placed these bodies in these aboveground tombs. Right. And that Louisiana heat is going to speed up decomposition. 00:12:01:24 - 00:12:30:24 Unknown Then after a year and a day, the 366. Why? But after a year and a day, the remains are moved to the back of the tomb to make space for the next family member. It's practical, spiritual, and it means a single tomb can hold generations, generations one. But also what happens if Uncle Mary dies couple weeks after aunt Sue? 00:12:30:28 - 00:12:49:58 Unknown You know, but generations. So that means that if we are a poorer family, I can buy a plot and then everybody can be buried there, or like grandpa, like hit the lottery because, you know, obviously they had the, you know, mega millions back in the day. So grandpa hits the Mega millions, they buy the burial plot. And then what? 00:12:49:58 - 00:13:19:08 Unknown In 1924? We're still burying people in there. That is so repo, the genetic opera. If you've not seen repo, the Genetic Opera with Alexis and Paris Hilton and stuff, and Sarah Brightman, oh my God of Me as an opera singer, Sarah Brightman, when she breaks through the tomb and she ends up in these the sea of bodies. That's kind of what I imagine New Orleans was like during, like, yellow fever and stuff like that's how many like. 00:13:19:08 - 00:13:37:32 Unknown And they're just like putting the two in there, just. Okay, if you've ever seen that movie, great movie. Definitely watch it. That's my recommendation of the week. Go watch repo the Genetic Opera. You have to like musicals. Okay. Sorry, but that is a that's a creepy scene. And this kind of feels creepy like that. So here we go with why a year in a day? 00:13:37:37 - 00:14:00:41 Unknown So the year in a day oven method in New Orleans refers to the practice of waiting one year in a day before reopening and aboveground tomb. This practice exists for two main reasons the city's climate and topography, and the need to reuse burial space. Due to New Orleans hot, humid subtropical climate, the interior of the aboveground tomb acts like an oven to high heat. 00:14:00:41 - 00:14:27:52 Unknown Okay, we already talked about this. Oh, okay. Hold on. Okay, we did talk about this, but due to New Orleans hot, humid subtropical climate, the interior of the aboveground tomb acts like an oven. The high heat and lack of moisture speeds the decomposition process, which often lichen, which is often likened to a slow cremation that's so scary and so scary. 00:14:27:57 - 00:14:50:34 Unknown The year and a date time frame is intended to ensure the body is exposed to at least one full New Orleans summer, allowing it to be reduced to bones. Oh my God, it is reduced to bones in that amount of time. What I thought okay, never mind. I thought this was going to be more like like Egyptian cremation or embalming. 00:14:50:37 - 00:15:15:11 Unknown That's what I mean. I thought this is more like embalming. Like all I know is like, the body was put into the sand and then buried, so that would dry out. And I thought, this is that I thought the oven method was more like, we're drying you out to then, like, push your skin and stuff back there. Turns out we're being reduced to bones in this slowly. 00:15:15:16 - 00:15:37:17 Unknown That is actually really, really scary, right? That's so wild. It must get so crazy hot in this bitch. And obviously it gets really freakin hot in New Orleans. But like we're talking oven world hot. Okay, sorry. It's just kind of hitting me now, you guys. I like read this before, but I did not realize that it was going to be reduced to amounts. 00:15:37:28 - 00:16:00:09 Unknown Okay. So it is absolutely not like the genetic opera. Still go watch that movie. Not like rebuild genetic opera. This is like a is cooking. You cooking now? Well okay. So obviously we talked about like okay, so they're doing the oven method so that the next family member can be put in there. And they can have multiple generations in this tomb. 00:16:00:14 - 00:16:24:01 Unknown Obviously with bones it's a lot easier to do a much smaller tomb. But some other burial practices involve like family vaults with multiple compartments for the family. These vaults might have been separate niches for different family members, and over the generations they could be rearranged or reused. That's why part of New Orleans has a living, ever evolving feeling. 00:16:24:14 - 00:16:51:00 Unknown Tombs and vaults are shared and adapted over time. So this is not a like, okay, we're burying you. See you. You know, and this was more like a okay, we'll see in a year in a day. Bye bye Uncle Larry. Like, actually that's that is spooky because you're like you're kind of like. I mean, you're not disrupting somebody's final resting place, but you kind of are like over and over again, especially if you're doing it for generations. 00:16:51:09 - 00:17:11:49 Unknown And what if my shitty ass cousin gets it, gets dead, passes away right after me, and I got to be buried? She think I got you buried on top of me like their bones. Don't have my bones pissed. Piss. Next time that thing opens, you better believe my ghost is coming out and being like, screw y'all, I'm going to go haunt this bitch. 00:17:11:54 - 00:17:34:23 Unknown So not only are they having, like, a family vault, but they're burying people in the walls. You guys. Sorry. It was probably really loud. The walls you guys like these are called wall vaults. And these are essentially like little apartment crypts built into the walls of the cemetery. They're a bit more compact than the big family tombs and family vaults. 00:17:34:28 - 00:18:03:45 Unknown But sometimes they're stacked several stories high up along cemetery boundary walls, giving it an eerie but fascinating look. What? That's really scary. I that is so scary. Every it's it's kind of like use every part of the animal. Use every part of the cemetery, stack them high. Like, I mean, man, these people would have been building catacombs if they could because death is so a part of this culture. 00:18:03:45 - 00:18:31:30 Unknown And I mean, even if you go down there today, it's still is. I think they really took the concept of funerals or friends living and ran with it because. So not only are they like burying people everywhere in the walls of these cemeteries upside down, like not down low, but up high above ground, whatever. They would also have like families started doing like death feasts and stuff in the cemetery, especially on like All Saints Day. 00:18:31:30 - 00:18:55:15 Unknown They'd gather around and they would it kind of like a dealer. Jones dealer. Whoa. You got to chill out. You got chill out. Spanish shit. The Spanish Dia de Los muertos. Dia de Los muertos. I can speak Spanish. No, I can't, I can say that word. Day of the dead. It kind of gives day of the dead. Obviously. 00:18:55:19 - 00:19:11:38 Unknown We'll talk about day of the dead at some point, I'm sure, in the spookiest of months. Who knows? We're talking about on Christmas. But it's it's kind of giving that we're like, we're celebrating their life even after they're gone and long after they're gone and years after they're gone. And, you know, being together as a family no matter what. 00:19:11:38 - 00:19:39:54 Unknown But not only that, but, I mean, and you got to figure their let's get more into their like, funeral traditions. But before that I want to get into like, why is there so much death in New Orleans in the 18th and 19th centuries? Disease was rampant in New Orleans. I mean, we're talking yellow fever, cholera, malaria, earnings, epidemics killed thousands of people at a time. 00:19:39:54 - 00:20:00:13 Unknown And try I mean, that's like black plague type shit, like, you know, so widespread. But I mean, in the city of New Orleans, in the area, these diseases kind of fit. Again, the reason the oven method works is because it's in a hot climate. There is nothing but hot, humid subtropical temperatures, a great place for bacteria and disease to grow. 00:20:00:18 - 00:20:22:40 Unknown 18th, 19th century. We're not. I'm doing handwashing right now, okay? We're like pooping in buckets and streets and shit. I don't know, we're at least not we're not doing big hand washing and doing big hand wash. Companies have not been established yet. Okay, so we're dying. That's just what it is. New Orleans in the 18th and 19th century, obviously cholera, malaria. 00:20:22:55 - 00:20:45:13 Unknown So killing thousands of people at a time. Yellow fever alone took out a huge chunk of the population. It was a regular part of life for people to, like, get sick and die. So. And I mean, you can't if people are so resilient. Number one, I got to know what yellow fever does to you and why? Because I'm morbid. 00:20:45:18 - 00:21:11:13 Unknown Okay. What does it do? Oh, it's transferred through a mosquito. Oh, so you're like, this is not hand-washing shit. This is mosquito stuff. Oh, no. Oh, no, oh, no. Okay, so. So fuck. So who cares about big hand-washing? Maybe that's more cholera, but oh my God, yellow fever. Holy shit. You guys. Oh my God. What does it do to you? 00:21:11:18 - 00:21:43:06 Unknown Okay. I'm so sorry. You guys okay. Listen. So the symptoms include fever, jaundice, muscle pain, vomiting and black vomit. I know one, I think that my friends are possessed. Turning yellow. Thrown up black. What? Oh my gosh. It obviously was a a eradicated. The last report of yellow fever in New Orleans was 1905. Wow. That's so long. Numerous outbreaks in the 19th century. 00:21:43:06 - 00:22:16:39 Unknown We're talking 1817, 1853 and 1878. And it was first introduced in 1793. Damn it, stupid. Okay, that's. That's a scary. I am gonna look up images. You must just like. No, not this. Like before and after. Not this before. I'm so sorry. It's not anything to laugh at. These people suffered and died, and I'm not trying to laugh at their death, but I'm laughing at this illustration that somebody drew because it's just. 00:22:16:44 - 00:22:36:19 Unknown It's so, like, exactly what would be like, made today. It's just so like that. It's changed. Okay you guys. So that's horrible. So we're doing more like cholera without handwashing. The the yellow fever would do in mosquito bites. And how do you like, do you have to be in a net all the time like did people. I can't get into that right now. 00:22:36:19 - 00:22:57:16 Unknown That's I'm getting getting to like psychologically into it. Like how do we prevent yellow fever has been around since 1905 okay. You know so not knocking on all the world you guys so doing that. Oh but anyways because thousands of people are dying at a time and obviously in multiple outbreaks, I mean we're doing 2030 years apart and shit. 00:22:57:21 - 00:23:18:33 Unknown Yeah. I mean they're happening again and again and again. So you have I'm not surprised that the people of New Orleans are so resilient that they decided to start celebrating death. And by celebrating it, I mean celebrating the life that this person had and putting it out there. And death is visible and it's a part of life and it's a part of what we have to do. 00:23:18:37 - 00:23:41:27 Unknown So people started having jazz funerals. It's more of a solemn walk to the cemetery. You're kind of giving respect to the person, you're giving respect to their life and all that, and you're giving respect to what's happened. Then on the way out of the funeral, out of the cemetery, there's a lot of joyful music played a celebrating music on the way back. 00:23:41:38 - 00:24:04:36 Unknown This is symbolizing the soul's release. So the second line is everyone who followed the band and family dancing and celebrating. So the band goes first and then the family. We're all dancing, we're all celebrating. And the tradition of death. Like in the public eye. It's not hidden. It's paraded through the streets. So do people still do? Has funerals today? 00:24:04:40 - 00:24:30:39 Unknown Let's see. Yes, people still have jazz funerals today, though they are less common, often customize to include elements of traditional New Orleans jazz funeral, with a procession typically involving a marching band that plays solemn music with the celebratory brass sounds. While most are for the musician, anyone can request one, and the format can be adapted to fit specific wishes for a life celebration. 00:24:30:48 - 00:24:54:36 Unknown That's very cool. I like that that you can still do it and you can still request it. That's very nice. It keeps it alive in Orleans. Talk about respect the history. Go down there, respect it, respect that history. All Saints Day, like I talked about, that is more where families will come and clean and whitewash the tombs. They're like taking care of their dad. 00:24:54:41 - 00:25:17:51 Unknown They're repainting other decorating with flowers and candles and cemeteries are turned into gathering spaces where death and community meet. That's when they usually have their, like, family feast. I think that is so really nice. I think that cemeteries are kind of big gardens. If you want them to be our big parks. I guess if you want them to be. 00:25:17:56 - 00:25:43:00 Unknown Obviously grief is hard and grief never goes away and all that. But looking at it as the celebration of their life, their their souls release is such a beautiful way of looking at it that hopefully that brings somebody somewhere a little piece, you know, maybe in these trying times. So how much have we talked about this? Oh my gosh guys, we've talked about this so much okay. 00:25:43:04 - 00:26:03:12 Unknown So I know I had said American Horror Story Coven is a place that you can go see at go see. And it's a place that you can go an idea of what these cemeteries looked like. If you want to see not Saint Louis Cemetery number one, but Lafayette Cemetery number one, that is going to be featured in an interview with a vampire and The Originals, which is a TV show. 00:26:03:19 - 00:26:26:26 Unknown So definitely check these out. These are very cool places. If you're going to New Orleans, I highly suggest going into one. I can't suggest, like Saint Louis Cemetery number one is the best or not. It's just you should check out one only if you're going to be respectful and also if you are not a vulnerable person who can handle that. 00:26:26:31 - 00:26:43:46 Unknown If you're not a vulnerable person and you think that you can handle the absolute dread that you're going to feel in that cemetery, and if you don't feel it, good for you. Maybe you're a little bit stronger than me. But my poor little heart was like, oh, these poor people, like, some of these are so sad. Some of them were kids and I'm like, so sad. 00:26:43:55 - 00:27:18:16 Unknown But I hope that we can embrace in the rest of the country a little bit more of an All Saints Day kind of approach to this. Like going to see your family members and cleaning their grave sites and putting flowers and giving respect to who these people were. And if even if you didn't meet them, the legacy that they created for you as your family, your friends, go see your friends, you know, R.I.P. if you have any friends who have passed away, I, I deeply feel for you, but you know, maybe a way to honor them next after your grief process, don't let me tell you what to do. 00:27:18:16 - 00:27:39:09 Unknown Grieving is individual, but maybe it's a nice time to bring them, you know, their favorite flower. Something compostable. You guys, please, let's not be leaving, like, unopened candy and stuff at graves, okay? Just because of the environment. Okay? Sorry. Anyways, you guys, I know that was heavy. Just like the New Orleans cemeteries are next week, I think we're going to get into something a little bit lighter. 00:27:39:09 - 00:28:05:34 Unknown Spooky. But I just thought some of this is so fascinating and guys like such a different way of living being a cultural like. I mean, I have been to everywhere from New York to L.A. to Portland to Phoenix to to Seattle, Orlando, Miami, everywhere. New Orleans is so unique compared to everywhere else. Is it unique compared to the rest of Louisiana? 00:28:05:34 - 00:28:28:31 Unknown I don't know, but and I mean, obviously that we all know, like Hurricane Katrina, the tragedy that is New Orleans like that has befallen New Orleans again and again and again. It's just horrible. But what a resilient city. I mean, all the way back to the 17th or the 18th and 19th century and beyond, I'm sure. But okay, you guys tell your weird uncle about me. 00:28:28:31 - 00:28:50:31 Unknown I know that your weird uncle is interested in this right now, so go ahead, copy paste that link. Go check out the merch I got. I hope you guys enjoy it. If not, whatever. Go watch my video from next week. Also not next week. Do not travel in time. Do not pass go. Do not travel in time. Go check out my video from last week because it is ugly. 00:28:50:36 - 00:29:05:00 Unknown Okay, let's talk about the warrants. I hope you saw The Conjuring Last Rites I have not yet. Okay, I wish I did I haven't yeah what is why I haven't talked about it okay. So hopefully by next week I'll be talking about it. Okay. Anyways, like I said, tell your weird uncle about me. I'll see you guys later. 00:29:05:00 - 00:29:06:33 Unknown Bye.