MARDI GRAS

Mardi Gras began in Europe and is celebrated

in several countries and several states. There is a
large, tightly choreographed celebration in Nice,
France and a parade in Paris. In Venice, Italy, they
celebrate Carnival with amazing costumes and
masks. Brazil has taken the holiday to a whole new
level with its focus on the samba.
Mardi Gras lAmricain is celebrated in a limited way in
several states: Mobile, Alabama; Pensacola, Florida; San Francisco,
California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Galveston, Texas. The
largest celebration of Mardi Gras is in New Orleans, Louisiana. This
article will trace the origins of Mardi Gras and describe how it is
currently celebrated in the Big Easy.

LE BOEUF GRAS (THE FAT BULL)

We can trace the origin of modern Mardi Gras to Carnival in
Rome. The word Carnival comes from the Latin carnem levare
which means to remove the meat.
Mardi Gras is also
sometimes called Fat Tuesday which is simply a literal
translation from French.
Beginning in 1140, Roman revelers took part in a procession
after which they killed steers and other animals during a public
ceremony. This was the last day before Lent, a period delineated
on the Roman Catholic calendar. During Lent, people may avoid
certain luxuries, fast, or abstain from eating meat. Lent lasts for 47
days, ending in the celebration of Easter.

This celebration included the custom of Boeuf Gras or Fat

Bull celebrated in Nice and Paris, France beginning around 1292.
The celebration in Nice is ongoing and lasts one week. Mardi Gras
was celebrated in Paris up until 1952, then stopped, and then was
reinstated in 1997.
In keeping with this tradition, the New Orleans Krewe of Rex,
paraded a live bull in 1870. Today the real bull has been replaced
with a 12 foot tall, white, paper mch bull, who rides atop a float
surrounded by real chefs dressed in white. This incorporates the
love of cuisine in Louisiana with Mardi Gras tradition

LOUISIANA: MARDI GRAS POINT

In 1699, the French Navy, under the

command
of
Pierre
Le
Moyne
dIberville, made landfall just up the
Mississippi River from the Gulf of
Mexico. It was Mardi Gras day. He
named the landing point Mardi Gras
Point (Pointe du Mardi Gras). This was
the first piece of Louisiana Territory to
be named. The city of New Orleans
would not be founded for another 20
years, in 1718, and would be located
about 70 miles upstream.

WHAT IS A KREWE?
The society balls of Mardi Gras began in New Orleans around
1741. The first Krewe was founded in 1857, the Mistick Krewe of
Comus. They also coined the word Krewe as an archaic
affectation. The word just refers to the crew or group who organize a
Mardi Gras parade. Since then, Mardi Gras Krewes have multiplied
into the hundreds in Louisiana, including small towns.
There are about 70 different Krewes parading during the Mardi
Gras season in the city itself. The season kicks off with the Krewe
de Jeanne dArc on January 6th, also called the Epiphany, or 12th
night. The season ends several weeks later on Mardi Gras day with
the Krewe of Rex, and the Krewe of Zulu on Saint Charles Ave.

KREWE ORGANIZATION
Krewes are chartered as nonprofit entities. They are financed by
dues, by the sale of Kreweemblemed merchandise to the
members
and
by
fund-raising
projects. Most Mardi Gras Krewes
are also involved in charitable work.
Krewes do not accept money from
corporate sponsors or commercial
interests; so you do not see
corporate logos on Mardi Gras floats
or merchandise.
Money raised from Krewe membership fees and fundraising is
used for float construction, costumes, and the purchase of beads
and other throws for the parades. Additionally, many Krewes
sponsor elaborate costume balls for their members. Generally,
there is a king and/or queen who reign as that Krewes monarchs
during Mardi Gras parades and public events.
Most Krewes have a theme each year. Among the more popular
themes have been legends, famous people, literature, and Greek,
Roman and Egyptian mythology. A few Krewes make fun of current
political events: the Krewe de Vieux, the Krewe of Muses and the
Krewe of Chaos to name a few. The Krewe of Barkus features
costumed dogs and irreverent themes. Truly, there is a parade just
right for every taste and every interest group.

Although most Krewes are organized with dues and activities

throughout the year, the Krewe of Cosmic Debris is spontaneous.
Anyone can join at the last minute and parade together on Mardi
Gras day. Just check the internet, and show up in any costume you
want at the announced meeting point and join in. Its a walking
parade.

THE OFFICIAL COLORS OF MARDI GRAS

In 1872 the Russian Grand
Duke
Alexis
Alexandrovich
Romanoff was visiting the US and
was the honored guest of the
Krewe of Rex. The country was
still recovering from the Civil War
and Mardi Gras was not yet
organized. At this time in history,
scurvy was still a serious disease
in the world. It was often fatal.
Now we know it is cured with
vitamin C, but at that time its cause and treatment were unknown.
The Russian Duke thought he had found a cure for scurvy and he
happily shared it with his hosts in New Orleans. His cure was a
drink that contained lemons, limes and a purple tonic. The drink
was a great hit in New Orleans and since it contained lots of vitamin
C, it was actually an effective treatment.
It just happened that this was the year that the King of Rex
announced the official colors of Mardi Gras. He chose gold, green
and purple. The following year the theme for the Krewe of Rex was
The Meaning of Colors; they announced That Gold stood for
Power, Green for Faith and Purple meant Justice. So, these have
been the official colors for Mardi Gras ever since. And the Russian
Dukes drink is still served in Louisiana; its called Citron, Chaux
et Bitter.

THE MARDI GRAS INDIANS

The Mardi Gras Indians have
been parading in New Orleans
since the mid-19th century and
possibly before. They are the
result of the melding of the
African American and Indian
cultures. In the early days of the
city, African slaves sometimes
escaped captivity and took refuge
with the Indians. The two ethnic
groups intermarried.
On Mardi Gras Day in 1885,
fifty Plains Indians marched in
native dress on the streets of New
Orleans. Later that year, the first
Mardi Gras Indian gang was
formed; the tribe was named The
Creole Wild West. Some of the
participants came from Buffalo
Bills Wild West Show.
There are now around 50 different Mardi Gras Indian tribes in
New Orleans. There are the up-town Indians and the down-town
Indians. They parade, dance and sing several days a year including
Mardi Gras day. Their feathered costumes are works of art. Their
customs and roles are passed down within families. They are an
unforgettable sight.

THE FLAMBEAUX
The flambeaux are the men
who carry torches in the
parades. The same word is
also used for the torches
themselves. In the old days,
they were the only source of
light for the nighttime
parades. The first flambeaux
carriers were slaves. They
say the job has been passed
down from father to son ever
since. Today, the flambeaux
appear near the beginnings
of the nighttime parades,
balancing and dancing with
their candelabra-like
contraptions a-blaze. Theyre
amazing.

THROWS
Throw me something Mister
Beads and a variety of toys and trinkets have
been tossed off floats since 1871, when a masker
costumed as Santa Claus in the Twelfth Night
Revelers parade threw gifts to the crowd. Since
then, throws have become de rigueur, or
standard, for all parades. Each year the Krewes
choose their throws to go with their themes. The variety of throws is
infinite; they can be cute (stuffed animals), risqu (bikini

underwear), fun (Frisbees), practical (plastic cups) and sometimes

they are even edible (moon pies). There are almost always beads
and doubloons. The Krewe de Jeanne dArc which began in 2009 is
an exception to the rule; in keeping with their medieval theme, all
throws are handmade or semi-handmade; their doubloons are
made of wood and they do not throw beads.
Up until 1960, the ubiquitous necklaces were made of glass,
but there was a problem with people cutting their hands while
catching them. So everyone switched to necklaces made of plastic.
Purists complain about the tons of plastic beads from China being
thrown every year, but the modern medium has led to outrageous
and beautiful designs; the necklaces are also lighter, so they can be
larger; so theres an upside to plastic. You can still find old glass
beads for sale in the French Market or in antique stores for a
reasonable price. Just ask around.

THE KREWE OF ZULU

In 1916, the Zulu Social Aid and
Pleasure Club became an official Krewe. They
began throwing their famous, painted coconuts
in 1920. This was temporarily outlawed
because of injuries caused by the flying
coconuts. But in 1988, Governor Edwin
Edwards came to the rescue, signing the
Coconut Bill, thereby removing liability
from injuries resulting from a coconut and
the coconut throws were allowed again. Now
the coconuts are carefully handed to people
rather than thrown. They are a rare throw and
are highly prized in New Orleans.

THE END OF THE PARTY

Over one million visitors come to New Orleans for Mardi Gras
every year. Although hotel occupancy is a good gage of the economic
impact of the season, the amount of trash picked up at the end of
each day is another official measure of success. Ash Wednesday,
the day after Mardi Gras, is sometimes referred to as Trash
Wednesday; between 50 and 100 tons of trash are collected every
night for the last 11 days of the season, and the big cleanup starts
the day after Mardi Gras day.

The celebration comes to an end at the stroke of midnight on

Mardi Gras night, when mounted New Orleans police officers ride
down Bourbon Street, starting at Esplanade Avenue, flushing the
partiers out of the French Quarter toward Canal Street. Tomorrow
is the beginning of Lent, starting with Ash Wednesday. Some
people go to a Catholic Church and receive ashes as a sign of
penance. Its time to clean up the city, put away the beads, and
start planning for next year.