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think Mardi Gras and Carnival are the
same, they are not. Mardi Gras,
French for Fat Tuesday, is the grand
finale of the festive Carnival season. It
is the day of the parades and balls, the
day when the Carnival Kings and
Queens reign over the city. The first
newspaper accounts of the parades
were in 1838, and since then the
parades have grown into elaborate
productions.
Photo byNickBrethauer
A curious spectator tries to get a
better view of the parade.
L
few Orleans. Mardi Gras. Carnival.
Party. Party. Party.
Carnival season in New Orleans is
without a doubt the biggest party in
the United States. Beginning on
Twelfth Night (the sixth of January)
and culminating with the pageantry of
the parades and balls of Mardi Gras,
Carnival has been a tradition in New
Orleans for hundreds of years.
Although some non-Louisianians
n this country, most major events
are sponsored by some corporation or
another. Football stadiums are
wreathed by signs claiming one beer is
better than another. “Official”
sponsors of the U.S. Olympic teams
are numerous. But you will not see a
soft drink logo attached to any of the
floats in the Mardi Gras parades. The
official sponsors of Carnival in New
Orleans are secret social organizations
called krewes. Each club has a
Captain, who has much responsibility
during Carnival. And the hours this
man puts in are not reflected in any
The New Orleans police officers were not above putting on by Nick Brethauer
costumes for the festivities.
paycheck. All the work is volunteer,
and the knowledge of a job well done
the only reward.
The designing artist works to make
the parade of his krewe as fantastic as
possible. Working within restrictions of
length, height, and the limits of the
materials to reproduce an idea, the
artist distorts proportion and
perspective to achieve the proper
effect.
most fantastic, and always feature n<
art techniques in the decorations.
As the parades pass by, shouts of
“Throw me something, mister!”
abound. The float riders toss the
famous trinkets to the crowd, and
men, women and children frantically
dive for the keepsakes.
All the parades are fantasies come
to life, and New Orleans’ parade of
Rex. King of Carnival, is no exception.
Legend has it that Rex’s father was old
King Cole, his mother Terpsichore, his
home on Mount Olympus, mythical
home of the Greek and Roman gods.
Rex is supported by two associations,
the Royal Host and the Carnival
Court. The Rex of 1872 is credited
with first using the accepted Carnival
colors of green, gold and purple. And
you thought maroon and white was
the oldest color scheme around.
i.
T,
he parade that is the highlight of
Mardi Gras is the parade of Comus,
which was founded in 1857 and is the
oldest Mardi Gras organization in the
city. Comus is god of festive joy and
mirth, and is reputed to be the richest
king of Carnival. His floats are the
.his may sound a little sexist so far
because nowhere are women
described as having anything to do
with the organization of the parades.
That’s because, for the most part, the
don’t. There are women’s krewes, bi
the major parades and balls are
sponsored by men’s krewes. Each
krewe chooses its Queen, and to reigi
as Queen is the highest honor New
Orleans society can bestow on young
women. Once the Queens are
selected, their royal regalia is
designed, and the more spectacular
the better. One of the most beautiful
Queen’s costumes was worn by the
Queen of Comus in the Golden
Jubilee of 1924. Her costume was
described in a New Orlean’s paper thi
manner:
“The Queen wore gloves dipped in
Costumed celebrators threw beads to the crowds below in Lee Circl
nA&m cttLAs * nAkm gras * harm gras * mardi gras * mardi gras • mardi g
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