"Mardi
Gras" means "Fat Tuesday."
Traditionally, it is the last day for Christians
to indulge—and often overindulge—before Ash
Wednesday starts the sober weeks of fasting that
come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove
Tuesday, Mardi Gras has long been a time of
extravagant fun for European Christians. In
fact, some people think Mardi Gras celebrations
have their source in the wild springtime orgies
of the ancient Romans.
Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans on
a grand scale, with masked balls and colorful
parades, since French settlers arrived in the
early 1700s.
The
past:
Mardi
Gras was celebrated in the Christian countries
of Europe long before the founding of the
Crescent City. The day French-Canadian explorer
Sieur d'Iberville and his men camped 60 miles
south of New Orleans in 1699 happened to be
Mardi Gras, March 3, so he named the place
Pointe du Mardi Gras. It didn't take long for
the French to start celebrating this holiday in
the New World. Historians say that Mardi Gras
was observed by masked balls and bawdy street
processions in New Orleans as early as the
1700s.
The French in New Orleans were having private
masked balls and parties in 1718. When the
Spanish government took over, parties and street
dancing were banned. It wasn't until 1827, when
Americans were in power, that the right to party
in mask was restored --I love America! During
the 1850's, the city's elite and their elegant
Mardi Gras parties were quite a contrast to the
wild partying and near-rioting in the streets.
It was soon clear that all celebrations were in
danger of facing another ban.
In
1857, a group of men formed a secret society
called the Mystick Krewe of Comus. They knew
that Mardi Gras could be preserved with
planning,organization, and management of the
celebrations. Comus planned the first parade
around a theme and used flambeauxs to light the
procession. The Krewe of Rex formed in 1872 --
principally to entertain the visiting Grand Duke
Alexis Romanoff of Russia.
Since America didn't have royalty to
properly welcome the Grand Duke, the men in Rex
created a King "for the day" so the
Grand Duke could be royally received. They
secretly anointed one of their own (a certain
Mr.Halliday) to be the King of Carnival. Mockery
is a hilarious characteristic of Mardi Gras! (To
this day, many parades keep their King's
identity a secret until parade day.) It soon
became known that the Grand Duke's reported
mistress lover, Lydia Thompson (an American
actress and star), was appearing in New Orleans
during the Duke's visit. We don't know if having
a mistress at that time was to be kept quiet,
but the parade band didn't care, and its
official theme then became "If Ever I Cease
to Love You." Mardi Gras has always been
risque at times! New Orleanians have since
formed a lot of secret societies that have
served many charitable and social functions.
They often help unite the city with their
parade's political themes. In 1877, after a
brief interruption from the Civil War and the
unrest that followed, the Krewe of Momus held a
parade with the theme "Hades, a Dream of
Momus" to ridicule President Grant and his
Administration.
The
Present day celebrations:
Starting
in January with the Feast of the Epiphany, the
city of New Orleans puts on a party like no
other, with the heart of the festivities being
the last five days during February. Marching
bands, some of them founded more than a century
ago, also take to the streets with music and
festive dress. They open the day by spreading
jazz music through the city before the more than
350 floats and 15,000 costumed paraders take
over the scene. Crazy costumes and wild make-up
are the order of the day for paraders and
parade-watchers alike. The most lavish get-ups
can be seen at the cross-dressing beauty
pageants in the French Quarter, where bawdy
costuming may reach new heights (over seven
feet, in heels). Every year over four million
people come from around the world to be part of
Mardi Gras. Parades fill the streets with
endless floats, the sounds of live jazz and
blues bands filter from every club, and those
who come to this massive party become a part of
it's mystique. It's a time for parties, parades,
balls, and celebrations. The final day is Mardi
Gras Day or Fat Tuesday (the day before Ash
Wednesday & Lent). When the clock strikes
midnight, the festivities come to an end.
Starting
in January with the Feast of the Epiphany, the
city of New Orleans puts on a party like no
other, with the heart of the festivities being
the last five days during February. Marching
bands, some of them founded more than a century
ago, also take to the streets with music and
festive dress. They open the day by spreading
jazz music through the city before the more than
350 floats and 15,000 costumed paraders take
over the scene. Crazy costumes and wild make-up
are the order of the day for paraders and
parade-watchers alike. The most lavish get-ups
can be seen at the cross-dressing beauty
pageants in the French Quarter, where bawdy
costuming may reach new heights (over seven
feet, in heels). Every year over four million
people come from around the world to be part of
Mardi Gras. Parades fill the streets with
endless floats, the sounds of live jazz and
blues bands filter from every club, and those
who come to this massive party become a part of
it's mystique. It's a time for parties, parades,
balls, and celebrations. The final day is Mardi
Gras Day or Fat Tuesday (the day before Ash
Wednesday & Lent). When the clock strikes
midnight, the festivities come to an end.