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Mardi Gras
I have always been amazed at the number of people that flood Louisiana every year for Mardi Gras. Living down here, it just seems like another festival to most of us. Sure, it's a bit larger, but Mardi Gras has become another weekend event for the vast majority of Cajuns (and other folks living in Louisiana). Don't get me wrong now. There are huge business groups that absolutely depend on Mardi Gras to keep their doors open, and most of us do go to a parade or two every year, but I guess you could say that we are just used to it. We started catching beads and doubloons when we were just three, and we started riding the floats ourselves when we were just ten, so Mardi Gras has become somewhat "normal". Even the great Mardi Gras King Cakes are almost normal, but not quite (they are so good!).
For just about everyone living outside of Louisiana though, Mardi Gras is anything but normal. In fact, to most of the world it seems sort of nuts, and rightly so. We have thousands and thousand of people lining the streets, getting drunk, and willing to do just about anything to get a man to throw a stupid plastic bead to them. They party all night, sleep on the side of the road, and hide behind masks so that nobody will remember them. Now you tell me, does that seem normal? Well, to us it sort of does.
What Is Mardi Gras?
Since we are going to spend some time on Mardi Gras, we might as well know what Mardi Gras is. Mardi Gras is always set on the day before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is a religious holiday that is set on the first day of Lent, which happens exactly 46 days before Easter (yes, another religious holiday, and perhaps the biggest one). The word "Mardi Gras" itself is French for "Fat Tuesday". While we may talk about this term as a period of time that may stretch over a month period before Fat Tuesday itself, mardi Gras is actually that one particular day each year. The period leading up to, and including, Mardi Gras is actually known as Carnival. Not to confuse things any further, but Carnival always begins on January 6th. Putting this together, the period that we refer to as Mardi Gras is a celebration of Fat Tuesday that runs as a Carnival from January 6th until 47 days before Easter. Whew! The actual date that Mardi Gras falls on changes every year, just as the date of Easter changes.
Now then, what is Mardi Gras? We know that it is called Fat Tuesday, and that it celebrates the last day before Lent, but what is it? The answer rests with Lent. During Lent, the 46 days leading up to Easter, Catholics in Louisiana (and the world) prepare for Easter by fasting. On certain days (including Fridays), Catholics can not eat red meat, and must choose poultry or seafood instead. Depending on the practice of the individual, this fasting may even extend to every day of Lent. Therefore, we celebrate Mardi Gras as the last Fat Tuesday in which we can eat anything, and everything, that we want. It is a time to eat as much of everything that you can, before the fasting begins.
While the last chance to eat everything you want is the traditional and religious meaning of Mardi Gras, many people that flood Louisiana today to celebrate it have no idea what mardi Gras is. To many, and perhaps most, Mardi Gras is a reason to come to New Orleans and act like a fool for a few days. Given the complexities in life, perhaps that is as good of an excuse as any.
Mardi Gras Girls
I have always been amazed by the quantity of men that swarm over New Orleans to find "Mardi Gras girls". In case if you are not familiar with the term, a Mardi Gras girl is a woman that gets so drunk during Mardi Gras (or sober, if she is the type) that is willing to do just about anything for a silly bead. A Mardi Gras girl will scream, shout, jump up and down, and even flash the floats to get a bead, doubloon, or plastic flower. A Mardi Gras girl appears insane to the normal, sober observant. Perhaps she is, but this is what young men come to Louisiana for by the millions each year. They line up in the French Quarters, patiently waiting beneath balconies, all for the chance of watching one of the Mardi Gras girls flash them. Isn't that amazing?
While we personally have no desire to watch the Mardi Gras girls do "their thing", we may be in the minority. For those of you that want to watch some sick, drunk, silly Mardi gras girls flashing the drunk idiots below, you will have no problem finding what you are looking for. Simply join all of the other 18 year old guys on Bourbon Street in the French Quarters of New Orleans, stand beneath a balcony that has a bunch of drunk college girls running around on it, and you will get what you paid for. In case if any potential Mardi Gras girls are reading this, please take my advice: keep it easy on the alcohol, and remember that you are not a faceless name out there that won't get into trouble. Besides the usual problems of being one of the Mardi Gras girls such as rapes, assaults, and more attention than you bargained for, running around naked and flashing others in New Orleans IS ILLEGAL! The cops will bust you if you decide to ignore their warnings, and your dad will end up picking his spoiled and humiliated little Mardi Gras girl up from the jail during the next day.
Mardi Gras Beads
We all jump into the masses in New Orleans for the Mardi Gras beads. We go nuts! We run around like savages, are willing to stomp on little kids' hands that get in our way, and do just about anything to snag a 25 cents Mardi Gras bead. Is that insane? Yes, but it is also called Mardi Gras.
The quantity and quality of Mardi Gras beads varies tremendously. If you are at a parade in Denham Springs, Louisiana you can expect to catch tons of less expensive Mardi Gras beads. If you are at a huge parade in New Orleans (such as Bacchus), you probably won't catch as many Mardi Gras beads, but you will likely get some that are fairly expensive and worth holding on to. Then again, you may get really lucky. On one particular huge New Orleans parade that we went to several years ago, I ended up filling three plastic bags with Mardi Gras beads. These weren't cheap ones either. These mardi Gras beads were primarily the ceramic krewe beads that everyone goes after. How did I get so lucky? I just happened to have a float rider stop in front of me that was extremely intoxicated. I pointed at him and smiled, and he started dumping the entire float's load of Mardi Gras beads at me. Sure, everyone around me ended up with a huge "score", but I am telling you that I had enough to cover a dozen folk's necks!
If you want to increase your chances of ending up with tons of silly Mardi Gras beads, here are a few proven methods that work:
- Scream at individual float riders and point at them. "Throw me something Mr.!" is a common slogan.
- Unless you want to go to jail, do not flash the floats!
- Jump up and down while clapping and screaming at the floats. Do anything to create attention.
- Put your small child on your shoulders. They are suckers for this.
- Place the Mardi Gras beads that you have caught on your shoulders. They like to know that you will wear them.
- Make a sign that says something like, "Will Work For Mardi Gras Beads!".
- Bring a fish net and hold it up for a target. They will try to throw the Mardi Gras beads in the net.
- Point down at your kid (or any kid). They love to throw tons to the kids.
New Orleans Mardi Gras
The weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday are huge throughout Louisiana, but the biggest party is at the New Orleans Mardi Gras. There are parades on almost every day in the last few weeks, and often 5-7 parades on any given day (see 2008 Mardi Gras Parade Schedule for details). Over a million visitors flock to New Orleans every year to participate in the New Orleans Mardi Gras. While most of the parades outside of New Orleans are very family friendly, the New Orleans Mardi Gras parades are generally anything but! People get wild there, and it is literally a 24 hour a day party. In the final few weeks, you will see people partying in the French Quarters non-stop. If you want to get into this mess, just drop around the French Quarters at any time and you will see it for yourself.
As far as we can tell, Mardi Gras became celebrated in New Orleans way back in 1723. The party was brought to the capitol of Louisiana (Mobile) by the French Catholics in 1703, and it was likely celebrated when the capitol was moved to New Orleans in 1723. The oldest krewe in Mardi Gras history that has been continuously running (the Mistick Krewe of Comus) began in New Orleans in 1857. By 1875, the New Orleans Mardi Gras was so popular that the state of Louisiana declared it a state holiday. Suffice it to say, the tradition of New Orleans and mardi Gras is very old and established. there is simply no other place like it on Earth!
If you are planning on visiting the New Orleans Mardi Gras, here are some very wise tips to consider:
- Be safe! Stay in groups. Stay around other tourists. Do not venture into alleys or seedy neighborhoods.
- Obey the laws! No, you may not flash anyone. No, you may not urinate in the streets. No, you may not drive drunk.
- Book your hotel a year in advance. Seriously, it gets impossible and extremely expensive if you wait.
- Consider finding a hotel in nearby towns such as Kenner, Metairie, Slidell, and even Baton Rouge.
- Do not carry a lot of cash. Virtually everyone accepts credit cards.
- Know the parade routes in advance. Get to a good spot to watch several parades without moving, well in advance.
- Dress for warm weather! Louisiana is almost always hot. Bring a very light jacket in case it gets hot.
- If someone tries to hustle or threaten you, just scream! There are undercover cops everywhere.
- Have fun at the New Orleans Mardi Gras by using your head. Don't get too drunk. Use your common sense.