MARDI GRAS - Louisiana, USA
Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday” came to Louisiana in the 17th Century when the French colonized the area. The traditions of the French settlers, such as the King Cake and the Boeuf Gras, combined with the cultures of African slaves to create many distinctive celebrations.
The Courir de Mardi Gras is celebrated by the Acadiennes or Cajuns of rural Louisiana and is based on the medieval tradition of ceremonial begging. Bands of masked and costumed horseback riders roam the country side "begging" for ingredients for their communal gumbo. Le capitaine, a caped but unmasked captain, approaches a house with a white flag and asks permission for his riders to enter the owners' property. If permission is granted, the captain lowers his white flag and the riders charge towards the house. There, they dismount and proceed to dance and sing for live chickens and other donations such as rice, onions, and flour to be used in the gumbo.
Each year many of the larger New Orleans Carnival societies, or krewes, ride on their own elaborate parade floats built around annual themes. Most of the older krewes associate themselves with classic mythology, decorating their floats and wearing costumes related to ancient Greek or Roman royalty. The Krewe of Rex came out with their first parade in 1872 and created the tradition of crowning a king of Carnival known as Rex (Latin for King). The Krewe of Rex parade annually draws hundreds of thousands of spectators who wait to see the King of Mardi Gras pass by.
The New Orleans' tradition of African Americans dressing as Native Americans dates to the early 19th century. During dance performances in the Congo Market black slaves sometimes added feathers, animal skins, ribbons, and bells to their costumes and acted as Indians. This was a form of emulation and identification with the local indigenous people with whom the blacks were closely allied. In the 1880s, after emancipation from slavery, gangs of black laborers formalized this practice by creating tribes and masquerading as Indians.RESOURCES
Official website for New Orleans Mardi Gras
Make a Mardi Gras mask
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