Mardi Gras masks can be anything you want them to be. Some people go will full, brightly colored headwear while others? They go super traditional. Since a lot of Mardi Gras is borrowed from Carnival, some of the elaborate costumes come aboard, too. These outfits are styled after the traditional ones from Carnival in Venice.
These masks were a response to the rigid upper class, that prevented people from dressing how they liked...except during Carnival. The origin doesn't really matter in Mardi Gras, but the roots are still there: dress as elaborate as you possibly can. These masks come in many shapes and colors, so if you’re gonna wear one, go nuts!
With every Mardi Gras comes a whole new line up of decked out floats. These things are more than the average ones you’ll see at your normal local parade. Heck, these floats even outdo the Macy’s parade (mostly because they nix the balloons in favor of paper mache).
Ever since krewes began parading through New Orleans over 100 years ago, floats have played a massive role in the joyous holiday. Some comedy to just straight up beautiful, thousands of dollars are poured into the floats to make them as fun as possible. Needless to say, krewes take this part of Mardi Gras very seriously.
No mask? No problem! Just because you aren’t donning the most elaborate mask you can make – or let’s be honest, buy – doesn’t mean you can’t let the good times roll. Some krewes are all about face paint. There are even several stations where you can get your face painted, as well.
This isn’t your kid’s face paint, either. The tigers are tossed aside for full-body purple paint or elaborate gold painted designs that glimmer in the flashing lights. Some people even paint a feathery mask on their face instead of wearing one the whole night. It gets pretty difficult to keep a mask on by 11PM.
Carnival and Mardi Gras are so very closely related. How close? Carnival actually ends on Shrove Tuesday, aka Fat Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras! That’s why the costumes can be very similar from the feathers to the super bright colors. Trust us when we say, you’ll see it all in the best and worst ways.
Some people take this time to wear as little clothing as humanly possible, so you might see some bobbily bits while you’re wandering around the streets. The best place to be is Bourbon Street where there’s an annual costume contest where “over the top” doesn’t even begin to describe what you’ll see.
The King of Mardi Gras goes back a long, long way – almost as far back as the festival itself! The very first Mardi Gras started in 1703 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. It was pretty much a secret thing, but it didn’t stay quiet long. The first actual parade didn't occur until 1837, over 100 years later.
Kings were elected pretty quickly, but Queens didn't appear until 1871. Then, in 1940, the first African American King and Queen were crowned – Alex Herman and Aline Jenkins Howard. We’ve thankfully come a long way since then, with this guy looking like he came right out of the movie Black Panther!
Remember when we said people go all out? Yeah, this is an example of that. This dragon float is so crazy good that we wouldn’t be surprised one bit if it actually breathed fire. Actually, it’s totally made of paper mache, so it probably doesn’t, but wouldn’t it be fun if it did? You never know during this holiday.
This thing is clearly several feet tall, and it took a while to make. There are secret “dens” all over New Orleans where krewes spend a ton of time putting their floats together. Everyone wants to make the biggest and the best float out there. Now that’s what we call competition at its purest.
What is it with grapes and Mardi Gras? Have you ever found yourself asking that question? Don’t worry – we have the answer. It’s a pretty simple one actually. What can you make with grapes? Alcohol! You can’t make wine without grapes, and people definitely love their booze during Fat Tuesday.
So much so that they’ll incorporate it wherever they can. The easiest is with beads and floats, but some people get really creative and paint them on their face. Others choose to just down as many fermented grapes as humanly possible. Dionysus, the God of grape harvest and winemaking, would be proud.
To anyone living in New Orleans, saying jesters play a huge part of Mardi Gras is no surprise. They literally fill every street, and there are even full parades and groups dedicated to them. Heck, plenty of sports teams in the state are named the Jesters, too! The state can’t get enough of them.
It all goes back to where it originated – Italy. If you have Kings and Queens, why not also throw in some jesters to entertain? The colors for the outfits are typically purple, green, and gold. Purple represents justice, while green is all about faith. Then gold…well, gold is the best one. It represents power!
We’ve already seen one type of dragon float, but this one looks totally different. Why? Because it has Asian influences. The thing about Mardi Gras in America is that it’s all about different cultures celebrating the same thing. Sure, we’re not really into the religious part of it so much, but that’s okay.
We like that it brings everyone together to celebrate and have a little fun, especially since it’s in the winter (and just before spring). It’s around this time that everyone needs to get out and have a little fun. Plus, the bright colors are certainly welcome after months and months of dreary weather.
Before being officially called Mardi Gras, the celebration was known as the Rex parade. During that parade, the King of the Carnival would be draped in purple, green, and gold. Of course, people wear more than just these three colors. People wear tons of different shades, including red and black.
According to legend, Mardi Gras also influenced the choice of school for archrivals Louisiana State University and Tulane University. It's said that LSU was deciding on colors when the shops of New Orleans had just begun to stock up for Mardi Gras. LSU picked purple and gold, and Tulane? Stuck with green.
This guy looks a little funky, right? Turns out Cajun Country has its own special Mardi Gras celebration. Like everyone, they dance and play music, but they also do a little chicken chasing – don’t worry, you read that right, chicken chasing. Chickens aren’t the only ones, either, because pigs are also fair game.
Turns out there aren’t any farm animals safe from being chased here! Meanwhile, the local butcher sells delicious boudin and chefs cook up their best batch of gumbo. Then, there’s the nice ice-cold beer (and something a little harder). Partying is the #1 rule in Cajun Country!
Mardi Gras isn’t complete without a delicious King Cake to munch on. While no one is really sure where King Cake came from, many believe it originated in France and was brought over to New Orleans as early as 1870. The French version was an almond-filled puff pastry with a flakey texture.
Personally? We prefer the American version that's an actual cake. Be careful, though! There’s a little baby Jesus hiding beneath the colorful décor. Why baby Jesus? It signifies the Epiphany! If you find him, you’ll have good luck for the rest of the year! You’re also supposed to bring the cake next year.
The Zulu tradition goes back a pretty long way. It all started in 1909, and it has evolved quite a bit over the years. By 1915, floats were included, which gave rise to the Zulu Parade we know and love today. This is the parade skirting around the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina, which absolutely destroyed the state.
This was in 2008, when the state was finally able to go nuts and celebrate Fat Tuesday in the best possible way. You can bet that people were happy to go out and have a little fun after the hurricane ripped through everything. There were more colors than ever this year!
Green and purple are great colors and all, but gold? Gold is pretty amazing. Like the guy in Austin Powers said, “I love goooooold. The look of it, the taste of it, the texture.” We just live the glitz and the glamor of it all, but ya know – to each their own! People during Mardi Gras also love gold.
The interesting thing about that is that back when Queen Elizabeth I was in power, purple was the color of royalty. Why? Anything made with the shade was expensive thanks to the rarity and cost it took to actually produce it. Sure, gold was also expensive, but purple? That was the color of royalty.
It isn’t just shops, restaurants, and light poles that are decked out. In Louisiana and Alabama, everyone prepares their Mardi Gras decorations. It’s almost like Halloween! People want to have the best house on the block, whatever it takes. Masks, beads, flags – it doesn’t matter. People throw it all up.
There isn’t such thing as “too much” during this fantastical season. Some people even open their homes to strangers for a little get together. We commend those, but we’re not sure we’d be celebrating Mardi Gras the same way. Give me all the King cake you can, but not a bunch of strangers in my house.
