Mardi Gras: Brief History and Swollen-Faced Review
Photo by Jed Lipinski
As someone who grew up Christian but not a Catholic, I have always been aware of Mardi Gras and some of its history. But how do the celebrations that we see in Louisiana today compare to its origins in early Roman Catholicism? Mardi Gras originated when Christianity was introduced to the Roman Empire. Religious leaders decided to incorporate the very popular festivals like Saturnalia and Lupercalia into the new faith rather than remove them and face resentment. This led to the annual time of excess that comes before the period of Lent, which is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” and it is the last day before Ash Wednesday when the fasting and penance that comes with Lent starts. Now, Mardi Gras is not just the day before Ash Wednesday; for many Catholic people, it is also what they use when referring to the entire period of time between Epiphany and Lent. Epiphany is sometimes referred to as Three Kings’ Day because it is known as the time when the Magi visited baby Jesus. This day of feast and celebration is January 6th, and in the States (Louisiana specifically), some Catholic people will tell you that you cannot eat King Cake until Epiphany.
The first Mardi Gras celebrated in America was in 1699 when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville held a small celebration after landing near present-day New Orleans. Over the years, French settlements like New Orleans marked the holiday with street parties, fancy dinners, and masked balls. This continued until the Spanish took control of the colony, where they abolished the rituals. The ban on these raucous activities remained until Louisiana became a state in 1812. After visiting Paris during Mardi Gras and seeing the revelry there, a group of students put on colorful costumes and danced through the streets of New Orleans to mark Mardi Gras in 1827. Ten years after this was the first New Orleans Mardi Gras parade that took place. Parades today are often led by “Krewes,” but it was not until 1857 that that precedent was set. Twenty years after parades were introduced as a Mardi Gras festivity, the Mistick Krewe of Comus, a secret society of businessmen in New Orleans, organized a procession of rolling floats and marching bands which are the staple of every Mardi Gras parade today. One of the oldest Mardi Gras krewes is Rex, and they have been participating in parades since 1872. Rex is also the krewe that established purple, green, and gold as the iconic Mardi Gras colors.
Now that we know how we got here today, let’s see how Mardi Gras 2022 shaped up. After not having many Mardi Gras festivities in 2021, New Orleans, Shreveport, and other cities in Louisiana said that 2022 would be business as usual. I did not make the trip to New Orleans this year because I got my wisdom teeth removed the Friday before Mardi Gras, so 5 hours in a car with a swollen face would not have been ideal. However, 30 minutes in the car 2 days post-surgery was doable, so I was able to attend Shreveport’s Highland Parade Sunday, February 27th. Now, there are different types of parades—there are more extravagant parades, parades of more humble beginnings, raunchy parades, and family-friendly parades. Of Shreveport Mardi Gras parades, I would categorize Highland as the humble family-friendly one. There are 7 parades in Shreveport-Bossier, but the major ones are the last three: Centaur, Gemini, and Highland. Centaur and Gemini have bigger floats and are larger parades, and some of the floats that roll in them are used again in Highland. Highland does not get crazy, so me and my chipmunks cheeks felt comfortable standing on the corner of Merrick and Creswell to catch some throws. Some notable throws I caught included an “I love Italians” set of beads, three packs of ramen, and one pack of Strawberry Banana Instant Oatmeal. As a broke college student, this makes me say that I have two days of food covered, and I can share my specific romantic preferences while doing so.
Mardi Gras is a fun and lively time no matter where in Louisiana you are and no matter whether you are Catholic or not. I hope knowing the roots of Mardi Gras adds to your enjoyment of the festivities in later years.
