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The
History of
Mardi Gras
Though Mardi
Gras as we know it originates in Paris, many believe that Mardi Gras' roots
predate even the French celebration. Lupercalia was a pastoral festival held
around February 15th in Rome to banish evil spirits and bring health and
fertility to the city. The Church was having trouble convincing the populous to
give up the pagan celebration, so they repurposed the “Carnival” as a
celebration to prelude Lent.
Mardi Gras came to America in 1699 with the French explorer Iberville. Mardi
Gras had been celebrated in Paris since the Middle Ages, where it is a major
holiday. Iberville sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, from where he launched an
expedition up the Mississippi River. On March 3 of 1699, Iberville had set up a
camp on the west bank of the river about 60 miles south of where New Orleans is
today. To honor the celebration going on in France, they christened the site
Point du Mardi Gras.
In the early 1700's, Louisiana's Governor The Marquis de Vaudreuil stated
holding elegant society balls in New Orleans. Eventually the celebration started
to spill outside into the streets.
By the early 1800's, the public outdoor celebration of Mardi Gras consisted of
masked revelers walking through the streets, or traveling costumed in carriages
and on horseback. However, the first documented Mardi Gras “parade” was not
until 1837. With identities hidden behind masks, some people behaved so
raucously that “masking” in the street was deemed illegal for a time!
Fortunately, Mardi Gras in New Orleans was saved by the formation of the Comus
society in 1857. The men organized the carnival and proved that it could be a
harmless and merry celebration for the city. Comus was the first of the Mardi
Gras “krewes” and established many of the traditions of Mardi Gras.
Rex
Rex, the King of Carnival, has entertained
millions of people with his annual procession of floats in the Mardi Gras parade
since he first appeared in 1872.
The news of the visit to New Orleans of a Russian royal, Grand Duke Alexis
Romanov, was in some measure the inspiration for Rex’s conception. Rex was
created at a time when New Orleans was struggling to recover from the lingering
effects of the civil war. The primary motivation for his establishment was to
unify the numerous groups and create a daytime parade that would lure visitors
back to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. In fact, the Rex motto is "Pro Bono Publico”
or “for the public good”. Rex still parades on Mardi Gras morning, and he also
host a lavish ball Mardi Gras night.
Colors of Mardi Gras
The official colors of Mardi Gras, purple, green,
and gold, have been used since Rex first appeared. It is not known if there was
an intended symbolism to the colors at the beginning. Twenty years later the
parade's theme "The Symbolism of Colors" suggested that purple, green, and gold
symbolized justice, faith, and power, respectively. The Rex flag diagonally
displays these colors, along with a crown in the center.
King
Cake
 Today
king cake is synonymous with Mardi Gras. January 6, the Twelfth Night after
Christmas, is also the day Mardi Gras season begins. The tradition of king cake
dates back to the Middle Ages when it was served at Twelfth Night celebrations,
in honor of the Three Wise Men (or kings) who followed the North Star to find
the Christ Child.
King cake is made of braided Danish pastry and cinnamon, and it’s topped with
Mardi Gras colored icing. Sometimes there is a cream cheese or fruit filling. In
every king cake there is a tiny plastic baby hidden in the dough. Whoever finds
the baby in their piece of cake is in charge of buying the next king cake or
hosting the next king cake party.
Mardi Gras Planning and
Decorating Ideas from Party411.com
Mardi Gras Party Planning Guide
Creations For You!
Mardi Gras Creations for You
Decorating411
Mardi Gras Decorating411
Mardi Gras Themes
Mardi Gras Masquerade Birthday
Cool Jazz Party
Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball
- A Corporate Event
Mardi Gras Super Bowl Bash
Mardi
Gras Madness
New Year’s Eve Mardi Gras Celebration
A Sweet 16 Mardi Gras Madness!
Great Mardi
Gras Games
Mardi Gras Party Games
If you have questions
about throwing your “Carnivale” ask the
Party Girl
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Party411®
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