MARDI GRAS

Nothing beats a glass bottle of Coke and a trusty Moon Pie under the heat of the Alabama sun.
Joseph Carro

The Little Coffee Shop of Horrors Anthology 2

Visiting always is great for discovering local traditions.

Today is Fat Tuesday and our local Mardi Gras parade. Until my first winter in Gulf Shores, Alabama I had never heard of Fat Tuesday. At home on PEI I knew it as Pancake Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday

Mardi Gras history – according to what I read online.

Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in many countries around the world—mainly those with large Roman Catholic populations—on the day before the religious season of Lent begins. Brazil, Venice and New Orleans play host to some of the holiday’s most famous public festivities, drawing thousands of tourists and revelers every year.

Mardi is the French word for Tuesday, and gras means “fat.” In France, the day before Ash Wednesday came to be known as Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday.” 

Traditionally, in the days leading up to Lent, merrymakers would binge on all the rich, fatty foods—meat, eggs, milk, lard and cheese—that remained in their homes, in anticipation of several weeks of eating only fish and different types of fasting.

There are differing opinions on where was the home of the original Mardi Gras.

Some say that the first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana. They held a small celebration and dubbed their landing spot Point du Mardi Gras.

In the decades that followed, New Orleans and other French settlements began marking the holiday with street parties, masked balls and lavish dinners. When the Spanish took control of New Orleans, however, they abolished these rowdy rituals, and the bans remained in force until Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812.

Others say New Orleans is not home to the original Mardi Gras in the U.S. but believe that distinction belongs to Mardi Gras Mobile Alabama, which has been hosting the celebration since 1703.

Mardi Gras Mobile Alabama began as a French Catholic celebration to prepare for the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. It was first called Boeuf Gras (fatted ox) in 1703; the first masked ball was held the ensuing year; and the first known parade occurred in 1711.

Today’s festivities include private, invitation-only parties and masked balls, where revelers wear elegant costumes. These celebrations can be traced directly a group of partiers led by Michael Krafft, who, on the night of December 31, 1830, led a group of revelers on a dawn parade with cowbells and rakes and formed the first mystic society, called the Cowbellion de Rakin Society. It was this society that less than a decade later would introduce Mardi Gras celebrations to New Orleans.

Imagine this: Mardi Gras season in Mobile starts with November parties of the International Carnival Ball and the Camellia Ball, continues with celebrations on January 1 (New Year’s Day) and January 6 (Twelfth Night or Feast of the Epiphany), and finishes with a litany of parades daily starting two weekends before Fat Tuesday.

That’s a lot of parties and parades.

I was surprised that even in this area it seems that every community has a parade. Though now thinking about it I shouldn’t be surprised. In the summer on PEI many communities have their own festivals with parades.

The history of our Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade dates back to 1978 when a group of locals decided Gulf Shores needed a parade. Those locals formed the Pleasure Island Players and thus Mardi Gras began in Gulf Shores. A year later the Mystic Order of Shiners joined the Pleasure Island Players to become what is now the oldest parading order in Baldwin County.

If you’re wanting more info on Mardi Gras here are a few sites.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras

https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/loc.afc.afc-legacies.200002665/#:~:text=For%20nearly%20300%20years%2C%20Mobilians,in%20their%20homeland%20of%20France.

https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history/

Now back to today.

We decided no pancake breakfast for us. I figured they wouldn’t have gluten free and I’d end up eating the regular pancakes. So better off not going. We planned to go to the Gulf Shores parade. Best laid plans, right? But sadly that was a no go. Since the last time we were here they changed the parade route. Before we could park at the gym and walk a few blocks to view the parade. Not this year. As the parking around the parade route was closed off we’d have had to walk five miles from our house to get there. Nope. Not happening. Too bad. I was hoping to have photos to share with you. Sorry.

But here are a few from last year.

Just like during the parades at home the people on the floats throw things to the crowd. Now at home it’s usually candy. Here the “throws” are plastic bead necklaces, toys, doubloons (coins), Moon Pies, ramen noodles and other food products.

King cake is a staple for all who celebrate Mardi Gras. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cake On the Alabama Gulf Coast, king cakes are typically a ring-shaped sweet-bread filled with different fillings and topped with icing and sugar in purple, green and gold. A small plastic baby is included to be tucked inside. Whoever gets the baby brings the next king cake.

The last few days I’ve noticed a lot of people wearing certain colours. Here’s why.

Pictures of items I’ve mentioned and displays I’ve seen around town.

As an aside I love the TV Series Treme. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treme_(TV_series). I watched it several years ago. Set in post-Katrina New Orleans, it follows the lives of residents as they struggle with the aftereffects of the 2005 hurricane and the things the people had to hang on to: like their music, food and family, family that included anyone who decided to accept the challenge to return. The large cast is supported by notable real-life New Orleanians, including many of its famous musicians. Lots of interesting story lines and lots of music

Theme Song and Intro Song – Treme

Take care and stay healthy.

As always, thanks for your interest and thank you for reading.

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