MARDI GRAS and CARNIVAL HISTORIES

Two major celebrations happen around the day before Ash Wednesday.  Mardi Gras occurs annually in New Orleans between Jan. 6 and leading up to Fat Tuesday in either February or March (this year it is March 4th). Carnival is the largest party in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is celebrated as summer turns into fall from January onward to Lent.

 

 

Here are some similarities and differences between Mardi Gras and Carnival:

How did Mardi Gras and Carnival begin?

Both are based on a French Catholic tradition of having a big feast and ball before the season of Lent.  Mardi Gras in New Orleans was brought there by early French explorers in the 1700s. Eventually it blended with Creole customs in Louisiana.  Carnival was also brought to Rio by the French but it wasn't until 1850. Carnival blends African and native cultures in with the Catholic celebration before Lent.

Why New Orleans and Rio?
Both New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro are steeped in French Catholic traditions. New Orleans was settled by French Catholics in the 1700s.  A huge French populace settled in Rio during the mid 1500s until most of them were expelled by the Portuguese. Mardi Gras and Carnival were both initiated by French medieval customs.

How are the two celebrations alike?

Mardi Gras and Carnival share many characteristics. Both festivals are about letting go of inhibitions before the piety of the most serious season of the Christian calendar. They involve huge floats parading through the cities. There is lots of dancing, reveling and dressing in lavish costumes. There are kings and queens from various groups who march in the parades and host balls for both Mardi Gras and Carnival.

What are some traditions unique to Mardi Gras and Carnival?

Throwing items out to parade attendees is completely unique to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The tradition was started in the 1870s when the Krewe (or club) Rex decided to throw beads and coins to the revelers on the street. 

Carnival's unique style of partying involves the samba. People on floats and parading around them dress in lavish costumes and instead of throwing objects to the crowds they dance rhythmically as they travel down the street.   The samba and drumming with African beats is completely unique to Rio's Carnival because of the African traditions in Brazil brought there due to the slave trade. The Mardi Gras style of masked people throwing goodies into the crowd is symbolic of royalty mixing with commoners and everyone being on equal footing no matter their true station in life.

In New Orleans there are more than 50 Krewes or Clubs that have been formed to celebrate Mardi Gras....many of them several decades old.  Many of them are exclusive to men....a few are exclusive to women membership....and some are made up of both sexes.   Each Krewe will  hold a parade in New Orleans, and this year they begin February 15th and continue right up to Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, when the Mardi Gras festivities culminate with the parades of two of the city's largest and oldest Krewes, Rex and Zulu.

Some of the more famous Krewes are:

REX:  The oldest parading Krewe since 1872 is responsible for the official Mardi Gras flag and purple, green and gold colors.

ZULU:  Named after the fiercest of the African tribes, the Zulu parade draws large crowds seeking the coveted Zulu coconut.

PROTEUS:  Carnival’s second oldest parading organization was founded in 1882.

ORPHEUS:  This super Krewe started by Harry Connick Jr. was the first to use fiber optic lighting on its floats.

IRIS:  New Orleans’ largest parading Carnival organization for women was established in 1922.

MUSES:   A club founded by women, who describe themselves as “diverse in every way" – ethnically, racially and socio-economically.

MORPHEUS:  Named after the God of dreams, this club is open to all sexes, races and ages.

DRUIDS:  Druids is distinctive in that it does not stage a ball or feature a queen and court that are usually Mardi Gras staples.

(sorry to get a bit carried away here....but it is interesting....and these are just a sample....there are many, many more of these clubs or Krewes in New Orleans)

So when we think of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, not only we should NOT confuse it with Carnival in Rio; neither should we think of one huge parade on Fat Tuesday.   Taking it a step further, neither should we think that Mardi Gras is exclusive to New Orleans.....many (if not most) Louisiana communities celebrate Mardi Gras in one form or another.   As you will see more in a later blog, the city of Houma, for example ( population to some 50,000+ folks) has several Krewes or Clubs and will hold more than just the one parade on Fat Tuesday (which is March 4th this year).

so.....stay tuned for more from Houma.