Language experts estimate as many as 10,000 people still speak the French-based language Louisiana Creole .
語言專家估計，仍有多達1萬人在說以法語為基礎的路易斯安那克里奧爾語。
The celebrations include autumn's Festival Acadiens et Creoles , summer's Creole Tomato Festival , and spring's Tremé Creole Gumbo & Congo Square Rhythms Festival .
這些慶祝活動包括秋季的阿卡迪亞人與克里奧爾人節、夏季的克里奧爾番茄節，以及春季的特雷梅克里奧爾秋葵湯與剛果廣場節奏節。
But for locals and visitors alike , everyday evidence shows how strong Creole culture is in Louisiana .
但無論對當地人還是遊客來說，日常生活都顯示出克里奧爾文化在路易斯安那有多麼深厚。
The state's performance spaces and airwaves are often filled with the driving , rhythmic sound of zydeco and other Creole and Cajun music .
該州的演出場所和電台常常充滿柴迪科及其他克里奧爾和卡津音樂強勁而富有節奏的聲音。
Louisiana's restaurants offer dishes with rich , complex flavors including gumbo , hot sausage , red beans and rice , and shrimp étouffée .
路易斯安那的餐廳供應口味濃郁而豐富的菜餚，包括秋葵湯、辣香腸、紅豆飯和燜蝦。
“To celebrate Creole culture is to wake up and live in New Orleans ,” said Christina Bragg .
克莉絲汀娜·布拉格說：「慶祝克里奧爾文化，就是在紐奧良醒來並生活。」
She is a member of the Mahogany Blue Babydolls , a parade group for Black and mixed-race women .
她是「桃花心木藍色娃娃」的成員，這是一個由黑人和混血女性組成的遊行團體。
“Celebrating Creole is celebrating our day-to-day lives .
「慶祝克里奧爾就是慶祝我們的日常生活。
The food we eat .
我們吃的食物。
The music we dance to .
我們隨之起舞的音樂。
The way we gather with friends to parade during Mardi Gras ," she said .
還有我們在狂歡節期間與朋友聚在一起遊行的方式。」她說。
"Every day I open my eyes and breathe , it's a celebration of Creole culture , because that's who I am .”
「我每天睜開眼睛呼吸，都是在慶祝克里奧爾文化，因為那就是我。」
So , what is Creole ?
那麼，克里奧爾究竟是什麼？
“It's food , it's music , it's architecture , it's style and it's traditions ,” Mona Lisa Saloy told VOA .
莫娜·麗莎·薩洛伊對美國之音說：「它是美食，是音樂，是建築，是風格，也是傳統。」
“There are millions of Creole people in countries across the world…we are all so much more alike than we are different .
「世界各國有數以百萬計的克里奧爾人……我們之間的相似之處遠多於不同之處。
We create beautiful cultures everywhere we go , and I think that's evident here in Louisiana .”
我們無論走到哪裡都會創造出美麗的文化，我想這在路易斯安那這裡顯而易見。」
Saloy is the writer of the poetry collection Black Creole Chronicles and served as Louisiana's poet laureate from 2021 to 2023 .
薩洛伊是詩集《黑人克里奧爾編年史》的作者，2021年至2023年曾任路易斯安那州桂冠詩人。
She said Creole cultures all over the world have similarities to Louisiana's .
她說，世界各地的克里奧爾文化都與路易斯安那的文化有相似之處。
How the word "Creole " is defined changes from place to place and person to person .
「克里奧爾」一詞的定義因地而異，也因人而異。
The word “Creole ” is believed to have come from the Portuguese word crioulo , which developed from the Latin word for “to create .”
人們認為「克里奧爾」一詞源自葡萄牙語crioulo，而該詞又源於拉丁語中意為「創造」的詞。
The word took on different meanings in different places .
這個詞在不同地方有不同的含義。
Creole in much of Africa and part of the Caribbean , for example , came to mean people of mixed ethnic or racial backgrounds .
例如，在非洲大部分地區和加勒比海部分地區，克里奧爾逐漸指具有混合民族或種族背景的人。
In Louisiana , the definition has changed over the years .
在路易斯安那，這一定義多年來不斷變化。
He is a New Orleans-based Creole and owner of a local restaurant , the Vaucresson Sausage Company .
他是住在紐奧良的克里奧爾人，也是當地一家餐廳「沃克雷松香腸公司」的老闆。
“I prefer an inclusive definition ,” he said .
他說：「我更喜歡包容性的定義。」
“By that definition , anyone born in Louisiana could be Creole .
「按照這個定義，任何在路易斯安那出生的人都可以是克里奧爾人。
Describing his definition , Vaucresson added : “…it doesn't matter .
沃克雷松在解釋他的定義時補充說：「……這並不重要。
If you're born here and embrace the culture , you can be Creole .”
如果你在這裡出生並接納這種文化，你就可以是克里奧爾人。」
In Louisiana of the 1700s and 1800s , the more inclusive definition was possibly the most accepted .
在18和19世紀的路易斯安那，更具包容性的定義可能是最被認可的。
White people with European ancestry were just as likely to call themselves Creole as mixed-race people of African ancestry .
有歐洲血統的白人和有非洲血統的混血人一樣，都可能自稱克里奧爾人。
Mixed-race Creoles , too , claimed the term because it differentiated them from enslaved people .
混血克里奧爾人也使用這個稱呼，因為它能把他們與被奴役的人區分開來。
Don Vappie is a Creole jazz musician in New Orleans .
唐·瓦皮是紐奧良的一位克里奧爾爵士樂手。
He described the idea of Creole before the Civil war as organized into three levels .
他說，內戰之前的克里奧爾概念分為三個層級。
After the American Civil War , however , many of these differences in New Orleans disappeared .
然而，美國內戰之後，紐奧良的許多此類差別都消失了。
“Creole or not , white people had more in common with white people and Black people had more in common with Black people ,” Vappie told VOA .
瓦皮對美國之音說：「不管是不是克里奧爾人，白人與白人的共同點更多，黑人與黑人的共同點更多。」
Saloy believes Creole is firmly connected to African culture and should stay that way .
薩洛伊認為，克里奧爾與非洲文化緊密相連，而且應該保持下去。