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What is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras is a fun filled season from January 6th through Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is best known for its parades where beads are thrown from decorated floats by riders in costumes. There are also balls and parties. Where is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras takes place all around the world with its biggest celebration in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. New Orleans has a very famous Mardi Gras because of the numerous parades that take place. The King of Carnival's parade is in New Orleans. Carnival celebrations also take place in many other places around the world but they are not as famous as Rio de Janeiro's or New Orleans' Carnival. Can I ride in a parade? If you are an adult, you can ride in Orpheus for a specified amount of money and if you are a man, you can also ride in Bacchus and Endymion. If you would like to have a truck in a parade, you could invite a group of people to ride on your decorated truck in one of the four parades only with trucks. What are all the types of throws and where can I buy them? There are several other types of throws than beads and doubloons and the variety depends on the specific rider. Any throws that can not hurt the crowds can be thrown. Most riders have a few stuffed animals, grosses of beads, stacks of cups, and a few doubloons. The cups have the krewe's name and design on them and some now have the specific theme for each float. A good place to buy beads and Mardi Gras stuffed animals is Accent Annex: Mardi Gras Headquarters.
Does it cost money to attend Mardi Gras? You can go to a parade and catch beads for free. You can go to some super krewes' supper dances but you have to pay. You can not go to some krewes' balls unless you are a krewe member or invited by a member.
Is Mardi Gras a religious holiday? It started out as a pagan celebration but the Catholic Church Christianized it as a time for feasting before fasting for Lent. There are no church services for Mardi Gras but there are Masses on Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras, because Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. When was the first New Orleans Mardi Gras parade held? The first parades were in the early 1800s by maskers on foot. They were unorganized. The first official and organized parade was in 1837 with marchers in costume. The first parade with a krewe was in 1857 by the Mistick Krewe of Comus.
What are the krewes named after? Most of the krewes are named after mythological names but some are named after historical figures or events. Thor, Endymion, The Muses, and King Arthur are some of the krewes' names. Krewes have different themes annually that the floats follow. The theme of Rex in 2003 was the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase. What is the order of the parade? Most parades begin with fire trucks and police cars clearing the way for the parade. Then the captain of the krewe rides on a horse or float. The king follows on a float with his pages and is sometimes followed by the queen. The queen sometimes watches the parade with the maids and toasts the king at a reviewing stand. Then the parade's title float appears announcing the theme of the parade. After the title float, bands and dance groups are scattered throughout the parade with the floats and riders. The end of the parade is followed by a clean-up crew. |
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