History of Mardi Gras


In honor of Fat Tuesday today, today my blog is going to be about Mardi Gras. As some of you may not know, this holiday occurs every year and lasts weeks. This holiday mostly occurs in Southern U.S., predominantly Louisiana. Mardi Gras (Mah-dee Grah) is a Roman Catholic holiday, with the start of the season being 47 days before Easter. The end of it symbolizes the beginning of Lent, in which today would be the last day of Mardi Gras, as it is "Fat Tuesday".

The origins of the holiday can traced back to medieval Europe. On March 2, 1699, a French-Canadian explorer by the name Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville (otherwise known as Bienville in Lousiana History) arrived at a point approx. 60 miles south of New Orleans and named it Pointe du Mardi Gras. He also established another small settlement named Fort Louis de la Louisiane, (present-day Mobile, Alabama) in 1702, and had America's first known Mardi Gras celebration.

In 1704, Bienville established a small secret society called Masque de la Mobile, similar to what we in Lousiana call "krewes". Krewes can vary in size, and is basically a group of people who ride on the parade floats and throw beads and other things among that. In 1709, the secret society and with it came the forming of the "Boeuf Gras Society" in which they would parade with a huge bull's head on wheels with 16 men pushing it. Later on, they would parade with an actual bull draped in white to signal the coming of the Lent meat fast.

In 1718, New Orleans was established by Bienville and soon enough in the 1730's, Mardi Gras was celebrated openly in New Orleans. Ten years later, the governor established elegant society balls, which would become of the earliest model of the modern New Orleans balls.

By the late 1830's, New Orleans held street processions of masked men with carriages and horseback riders to celebrate Mardi Gras. Dazzling gaslight torches, or flambeaux's, lit the way for the krewe members. In 1856, the first official krewe was the  Mistick Krewe of Comus (This is still an official krewe in New Orleans, but the word "Mistick" was thrown out of the name.) The men used dazzling floats known as tableaux cars and brought masked balls to simply bring magic and mystery to New Orleans. Krewe members remained completely anonymous.

In 1870, New Orleans second official krewe was formed, namely the "Twelfth Night Revelers". The first account of Mardi Gras "throws" occurs. 

Later on, the official colors of Mardi Gras would become purple, gold, and green, and king cake was introduced as the official dessert for the Mardi Gras season. In 1875, the governor signed a bill stating that Mardi Gras was an official holiday in Louisiana.

Tips To A Safe Mardi Gras

As someone who has been to numerous parades over the years, I'm going to share these tips to a safe Mardi Gras. If any of you ever come to Mardi Gras during the season, please do follow these tips to stay safe.

✎Use the buddy system

Stay with your buddy or in a group of people. Even if you're not going to a parade in New Orleans, please be aware of your surroundings. If you're walking to find a specific spot on the side of the road to stand for the parades, do so with caution. Anything can happen.

✎Don't drink or drink in moderation

Like previously stated, anything can happen, especially if you're in a big city such as New Orleans. They do have criminals who lurk and wait to find any young drunk revelers. If you're going to drink, do so with moderation. However much you drink, do have a designated driver to get you to your home/hotel safely. If you decide to underage drink, be careful. They have deputies walking up and down the parade scanning for daiquiri cups or other indicators that underage people have been drinking, which is basically called juvenile detail. If you do underage drink, make sure to bring a coffee cup or something of your own or a plastic cup and lid to hide it. (I think a coffee cup is more subtle though. Not that I drink...)

✎Watch out for throws/beads

I can't tell you how painful it is to have a bag of beads thrown at your face. When a float comes by, continuously scan your eyes as you're cheering for beads/throws. This will lessen the chance of you getting hit in the face. Another thing is, if you wear glasses, it is recommended to wear contacts to a parade in case they throw the beads at your face. You do not want glass in your eye!

 ✎Don't overreact

They will have people who will snatch the beads out of your hands or if you're thrown something and it hits the ground and someone snatches it. It will be tempting to yell/smack them, but please do not. If you're going to catch charges, it should be for a better reason than simply over beads/throws.

✎Plan ahead

If you're coming to Louisiana, bring all sorts of clothes. Make sure you bring summer clothes, winter clothes, and rain clothes. The weather during March and February may vary from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. Make hotel reservations months before your trip. (The season can be from January-March, so plan ahead and make reservations in November.) Know the rules for Mardi Gras in the area you're planning to go to. It wouldn't be fun to catch a fine while on vacation. Other notes is to know how to get the parade, cooperate with any officers, and arrive early for a good spot at the parades. You can find other safety tips more related to New Orleans parades here.



Sources:
(Mardi Gras New Orleans)