A little history
Until 1823, masked balls were illegal in the country and it was the Creoles who brought them back into fashion. Most of them ended with a parade in the street. In 1839, the first parade with floats was held.
The first official organization was created by a group of Anglo-American businessmen in 1857. The famous Mistick Krewe of Comus marched in the same year. Other organizations were formed later. Rex, one of the most famous, created in 1872, established other traditions: the king cake and the three colors, purple for justice, gold for power and green for faith.
The first black parade, Zulu, had its origins in 1909, but it would be a few years before the African theme of the costumes and the name of the krewe were adopted. Today, Rex and Zulu are the two main parades that march on Mardi Gras day. They are also the most anticipated.
In 1968, the Krewe of Bacchus was created by rich industrialists from other states. Unaccepted by other organizations, they formed their own club and changed the traditional Mardi Gras parade into a more spectacular one. Hollywood actors took part in it, TV stars were elected kings of the parades. These parades were considered by the older krewes to be rivals and too demonstrative of their members' wealth. The Bacchus, Endymion and Orpheus parades are still known today for having the largest floats, the longest parades and the most beautiful throws (trinkets thrown from the floats).
In 1991, someone pointed out that the city's black majority was not represented during Mardi Gras. The members of most krewes were selected according to population and social class. A black woman, the mayor's advisor at the time, asked that carnival organizations marching in the downtown area not discriminate.
The concept
The Mardi Gras season begins on Epiphany and ends on Mardi Gras Day, just before Lent. It is a major event for Louisiana and an important source of revenue. The carnival associations(krewes) finance the festival. A law forbids the commercialization of the carnival, so there are no sponsors: the membership fees buy the floats and the costumes. The associations each choose a different theme and all compete for the beauty of their floats and costumes.
Parades. The program of the parades is generally the same every year. Each day (over the course of a month, with the main ones taking place on Mardi Gras day itself), the local newspaper publishes the various parade routes and features its kings, queens, dolphins or grand marshals
. Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras Guide (mardigrasguide.com) is available at all businesses in the city. It offers various articles on the history of Mardi Gras and details the parade routes. Parades in the French Quarter are prohibited due to the fragility of the buildings. Only Krewe du Vieux is allowed to march in the Quarter (one or two weeks before Mardi Gras).Lundi Gras. The Monday before Mardi Gras is celebrated on the banks of the Mississippi River with the arrival by boat of the Zulu and Rex kings. In the afternoon and evening, a big party is organized. Orpheus begins. This parade is brightly lit and has the largest float, the Leviathan, which can be seen year-round at Mardi Gras World
.Mardi Gras.
It starts very early in the morning on the central part of St. Charles Avenue. But the day really starts when King Rex throws a toast from his float out of the warehouse and Zulu arrives on Jackson Avenue around 8:00 a.m. (Zulu rarely arrives on time).At one time or another, all the party people end up in the French Quarter. Bourbon Street is the busiest street. Some parts of the street are impossible to cross without bumping into everyone else.
In the Bywater neighborhood there is another group called the St. Anne's Society. Anyone in costume is welcome to join the parade. At about 9:00 a.m., the group meets at Royal Street and Louisa. At each stop there is a bar where it is nice to have a drink. People in costume join the parade and head to the French Quarter to continue the party. The gay community is often the most represented in this parade.Following Zulu is the Krewe of Rex. It leaves at 10:00 a.m. usually from the intersection of Napoleon Avenue and South Claiborne Avenue to St. Charles Avenue. In its wake come the Krewe of Elks Orleans and Crescent City.
Mardi Gras Indians
They are African-Americans marching in dresses and singing songs inspired by Indian ceremonies. There are an estimated 50 such groups (called tribes). This tradition honors the strong ties that once bound African Americans in Louisiana to native Americans.
It is difficult to know where this organization originated. It seems that in the 1880s, blacks marched as Indians when Chief Becate organized the Creole Wild West parade. During the Mardi Gras season, Mardi Gras Indians march by a route known only to the chief and his members who lead the parade. They are often accompanied by a second line (marching band) that plays and sings in response to the chief's chants. Their costumes are very imposing, covered with feathers, beads and sequins. Each member makes their own costume. Some are considered works of art. One of the ideal spots to watch the parade is under the I-10 bridge on Claiborne Avenue in Treme. The best time to see them is when the tribe gathers on the Sunday closest to St. Joseph's Day (March 19) in Central City, which is called Super Sunday, and a few weeks later near Bayou St. John. To learn more about the Mardi Gras Indians, a visit to the Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes and Culture is a must.
