Paper: The Florida Times-Union
Title: Letting the good times roll in honor of Mardi Gras
It has been said that Mardi Gras is the greatest free show on Earth. With 15 Carnival seasons under my belt, I can attest that this is a fact. I remember as a child waiting in the streets for what seemed like forever to see the endless parade of masked Kings and Queens, and yelling "Throw me something, Mister!" until one of the majestic surreal knights took pity on me and threw a clump of beads that could have knocked me out had I not been paying attention.
At the end of the day, we had about 50 strands of beads around our necks, which we had to take off one by one.
Mardi Gras Day started early. To get a good spot, we parked and set up for that first parade, which usually started at 8 a.m. We always packed food for the whole day and set up in a spot about 50 feet from the street if we could.
Urban picnicking is a refined art in New Orleans. You start off with beignets (French doughnuts) and cafe au lait, or other doughnuts that can be eaten with your hands. After a few parades, and if you are old enough to imbibe, screwdrivers, hurricanes or beer are the order of the day.
(As I got older, I learned that it is paramount to "pace" yourself on food and drink, because if you don't, you will be like the Yankee tourist next to you who is sleeping by 2 p.m. right on the boulevard. The police on horseback like to ride by and give you a jab with their stick.)
For lunch there is only one choice -- Popeye's Fried Chicken. It can be eaten cold, with your hands and in between parades. My Aunt Mary, a New Orleans native, speculates that Popeye's probably makes enough profit from Mardi Gras to carry them through the year.
Back in the old days, Aunt Mary used to fry her own chicken the night before Carnival. She fondly remembers Mardi Gras as some of the best times of her life. It was a family tradition that crossed generations -- because if you didn't go to Carnival celebrations, there was not much else to do.
Mardi Gras history
French explorer Iberville discovered the land that is now New Orleans and on March 3, 1699, christened the site Point du Mardi Gras. Carnival (as the locals call it) was created as a period of merriment that would serve as a prelude to the season of Lent, which starts on Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras Day (Fat Tuesday) is the last day of the Mardi Gras Carnival season.
Mardi Gras can occur on any Tuesday from Feb. 3 through March 9. The fluctuating date was established by the Roman Catholic church. It is always scheduled 46 days before Easter (the 40 days of Lent plus six Sundays). The official start of Mardi Gras is Twelfth Night or the feast of the Epiphany (12 days after Christmas), which is Jan. 6. This year, Mardi Gras Day is March 7.
The first Mardi Gras festivities were held in 1857 and the first organizers were called Comus. They coined the word Krewe and established several Mardi Gras traditions by forming a secret Carnival society, choosing a mythological namesake, presenting a themed parade with floats and costumed maskers, and staging a huge ball at the end of the parade.
Also around the same time, a group called the Twelfth Night Revelers made history when a young woman was presented with a golden bean hidden in a giant cake. She was named Mardi Gras' first queen. A visit by the Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff helped inspire the creation of the King and Queen as the international symbols of Mardi Gras, along with the famous King Cake.
America's greatest party
Mardi Gras is much like Christmas now: There has to be a season to accommodate all the parties.
The New Orleans Mardi Gras season started Feb. 20 with the city's first parade, to be followed by more than 50 parades leading up to Tuesday. This is the time to break out the king cake and have a few people over to celebrate Carnival.
The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold as proclaimed by Rex, the first king of Carnival, back in 1872. Purple represents justice, green stands for faith and gold stands for power (or money).
There is no overall theme for Mardi Gras, but each parade must focus on a specific subject. The floats, costumes and throws all revolve around that theme. Almost all of the Mardi Gras parades begin with the King and Queen leading the parade. They are followed by many floats, which carry the members of the krewe.
It is an honor to be on a float today, but it's expensive. Being a Krewe member can cost thousands because you must not only buy all of your own trinkets and throws, but you also must put time into the club to build the floats, organize the parties and be actively involved in the Krewes' charitable work.
Perhaps it's a stretch to think about parading around outside in colder climates this time of year, but you can have a great Mardi Gras experience without the mob scene of New Orleans. The Internet offers all the supplies, even down to the King Cake. One site that's a mustvisit is
www.mardigrasday.com. It has everything you need to throw a great Mardi Gras bash yourself, plus all the latest happenings from New Orleans.Just follow the cardinal rules of Mardi Gras revelers: Decorate in green, purple and gold; cook up the traditional recipes; put on some Cajun music and Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!