M. Reneau

Did You Know?

Mardi Gras begins ___ days after Christmas and ___ days before Easter.

1246

The name of the areas where Mardi Gras floats are built is called _____.

dens

Did You Know?The colors of Mardi Gras are, ______, _______, and ______.

purple

green

gold

Purple represents ________.

justiceGreen represents

_______.faith

Gold represents _______.

power

Did You Know?Mardi Gras came to America in 1699 with the French explorer, Iberville. In the late 1700s masked balls were prohibited when New Orleans came under Spanish rule. In 1823 the Creoles convinced the governor to once again permit masked balls.

The first documented parade occurred in 1837 and developed a negative reputation because of violent behavior. In 1857 six men saved Mardi Gras by forming the Comus organization. They showed that it could be beautiful, safe, and festive.

Comus FactsFirst to use the term krewe;Started the custom of having a secret Carnival society;Started the custom of having floats with a unifying theme;Started the custom of having a ball after the parade and naming itself after a mythological character.

In 1870 the Twelfth Night Revelers made their appearance. They began the custom of putting a young woman with a bead in a cake. This young woman was the first queen of Mardi Gras which began the king cake tradition.

Origin of the King Cake

The krewe of Rex made their debut in 1872 and began the tradition of the “King of Carnival.” They introduced the colors of Mardi Gras and were the first to hold a daytime parade. They also introduced the Mardi Gras anthem – If Ever I Cease to Love.

1872 also saw the debut of the Knights of Momus. In 1882 the Krewe of Proteus made its debut.In 1890 the first marching band, the Jefferson City Buzzards was organized.In 1890 Zulu appeared as a parody of Rex.

Did You Know?

People dress very strangely on Mardi Gras.

Strange Dress

Strange Dress

Icee anyone?

Emerging from the dark side!

Masking

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