The History of New Orleans Mardi Gras
The Origin of Balls, Parades, King Cakes, and Purple, Gold, & Green
Dec 31, 2008
So how exactly did the insane tradition of New Orleans Mardi Gras come about, anyway? Women flashing floats to get the best beads that only end up in a shopping bag at the back of closet by the end of the week, giant gumbos and fais-do-dos, masked men and Mardi Gras balls. An interesting and lengthy history bring us to today's beloved, and sometimes crazy, traditions.
Before There Was New Orleans...
There was the Roman Lupercalia: a festival similar to a circus. When Christianity came to Rome, however, the church decided not to do away with the pagan festival, instead incorporating it as a circus of fun before the season of Lent. This is where the Christian association of Mardi Gras was formed.
Mardi Gras Travels to America
Mardi Gras had been celebrated in Paris since the Middle Ages, and when the French explorer Iberville came to the Gulf of Mexico in 1699, Mardi Gras officially entered the New World. Iberville named his camp Point du Mardi Gras, located 60 miles south of today's New Orleans. This small seed of celebration has flourished into a festive, highly-anticipated annual tradition.
During the 1700s while Louisiana was under the French rule, festivals and balls were held, but when the Spanish took over the state, the festivities were banned. The banning continued when Louisiana entered American rule until 1823: the year the Creole population persuaded the governor to allow masked Mardi Gras balls again. It wasn't until 1827 when street masking was allowed again.
Violence of the 1800s Mardi Gras Celebrations
Mardi Gras in the early 1800s consisted of masked men and women on foot or horses and carriages. By the mid-1800s, however, violence by the masked people increased until talk of banning the celebrations began.
It was then that the Comus organization was formed by six men from New Orleans who previously put on New Year's Eve parades in Mobile for more than twenty years. The Comus organization strived to show the fun and festiveness of the celebration by adding safe and memorable traditions.
Krewes and Balls and Parades (Oh My!)
The Comus organization began many of today's popular Mardi Gras traditions. They were the first organization to describe themselves with the word krewe, create a carnival society, have parades unifyed by themes and floats, and host balls after the parades. Although the Civil War briefly interrupted, the Comus organization came back in 1866.
King Cakes and Mardi Gras Queens Decked Out in Purple, Gold, and Green
King cakes and queens came about in 1870 when the Twelfth Night Revelers began presenting a young lady with a cake that hid a golden bead.
In 1872, the Krewe of Rex declared purple, gold and green the official colors of Mardi Gras. They also ignited the daytime parade tradition. A unique aspect of the Krewe of Rex is the king's arrival by riverboat.
The Krewe of Zulu
One of the most popular and endearing krewes of all time, Zulu first began in 1809 to poke fun at the Krewe of Rex. The Zulu king wore a lard can crown, held a banana stalk scepter, and arrived on an oyster lugger instead of a steamboat.
Mardi Gras Through the Twentieth Century
Mardi Gras struggled to survive through the early part of the twentienth century between the First World War, the prohibition, and The Great Depression, but the Krewe of Alla pulled Mardi Gras back together in 1934.
In the 1930s and 1940s, with the mass production of automobiles, truck riders entered the Mardi Gras tradition, later organizing themselves into the Elkes Krewe of Orleanians. Although war times sometimes resulted in Mardi Gras' cancelation, the celebrations still bounced back when good times returned.
The 1950s marked the replacement of mule-drawn floats for tractor-drawn ones. Zeus was also formed in the 1950s, and they held the first parade in Metairie.
The 1960s and 1970s brought about great fame for Louisiana Mardi Gras when krewes began hosting Hollywood stars as float-riders and began selling tickets to balls and dinners. A 117 year tradition ended in the 1970s when parading was banned from the French Quarter, and a police strike canceled thirteen parades in Orleans parish at the end of the 1970s.
Modern Day Mardi Gras
And though Mardi Gras has sustained minor changes since the 1970s (less doubloons being produced, for instance), most of the traditions have upheld, resulting in a celebration all about indulgence, excitement, and living a day in the life of another before the Lenten Season of sacrifice and self-control.
And some of the violence and insanity of the 1800s has survived too, but like then, authorities can't seem to smother the spirit of celebration rooted in tradition.
So bring on the masks, beads, and king cake and let go for a few days, or weeks, and enjoy a piece of history with that parade!
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