Mardi Gras started a long, long time ago, and at different
times in different places. Early Christians only performed
baptisms
on Easter Sunday. So people would fast and pray before being
baptized, and that tradition became Lent. Mardi Gras Day is
on Tuesday because it is the day before Ash Wednesday and
the beginning of Lent.
Human nature being what it is, people are inclined to go on
a bender immediately before a period of deprivation, prayer,
and fasting. Hence: Fat Tuesday. Christianity spread, and
Lent spread along with it. My guess is that the next year
after the first Lent, they wised-up and began celebrating
Fat Tuesday also.
Timeline of Mardi Gras History
Early French history - For some reason, the French
are famous for celebrating Fat Tuesday over the centuries.
It must have something to do with their mix of wine,
Catholicism, amorous French tendencies, the massive
popularity of masking and satire during the French
Renaissance.
1699 - Pierre Le Moyne settles in the
Mississippi Delta and names his camp
"Pointe du
Mardi Gras"
1710 - Boeuf Graf Society forms in Mobile,
the capital of the French territory of Louisianne.
1711 - First Mardi Gras parade is held in Mobile.
1719 - First two shiploads of slaves arrive from Africa.
1720s - Black slaves escape and co-mingle
with local Native American tribes, notably the Houma and
Natchez. The tradition of
Mardi Gras Indians
dates back to this common struggle against European
colonists.
1723 - Nouvelle Orle'ans becomes capital of Louisianne
territory.
1741 - Marquis de Vaudreuil, governor of Louisianne,
establishes elegant society balls in the springtime, when
the New Orleans weather is best.
1746 - First references to feathery
Mardi Gras Indian costumes
1764 - First Acadians arrive in Louisianne. Over time, their
name is mispronounced and eventually becomes "Cajun."
1783 - First black Mardi Gras group formed, called the
Perserverence Benevolent & Mutual Aid Association
1803 - President Thomas Jefferson purchases the Louisiana
Territory for the U.S.
1823 - Ban on Creole balls is lifted. The ban had been
imposed in 1781 to quell the threat of slave uprisings.
1835 - 1837 -
The first Mardi Gras
float wheels through town, initiated by the
Cowbellion Society from Mobile. They also organize a masked
street procession, with some maskers in carriages or on
horseback.
1840 - Antoine's Restaurant opens, the oldest continuously
operating restaurant in New Orleans.
1856 - Thirteen locals and six men of
Mobile decide to make the
first parade of floats.
Their ball has over 3,000 guests.
1861 - 1864 - Civil War halts Mardi Gras parades.
© 2002 N.O. Public Library*
1867
-
First krewe is established to organize a
parade: The Krewe of Comus.
1871 - First recorded "throws" during a
parade. A second krewe is established (The Twelfth Night
Revelers), and they choose their Queen by drawing a golden
bean out of a King Cake. The tradition of a
King
Cake is established.
1872 - The King Rex chooses the
colors purple, green, and gold for their Mardi Gras
parade. Those are still the official colors of Mardi Gras.
The Russian Grand Duke Alexis is in town to see the first
Rex parade.
1875 -
Mardi Gras is declared a
legal holiday in Louisiana.
1889 - Electricity lights marchers for the first
time
1892 - The King Rex gives the colors meaning: gold for
power, green for faith, purple for justice.
1899 - Temperatures dip to 7 degrees during the coldest
Mardi Gras on record.
© 2002 N.O. Public Library*
1918-1920 - Mardi Gras cancelled during World War I
1933 - Rain and the height of the
Depression cause the
first and only rain-out
for the Rex parade
1938 - Krewe of Hermes introduces the first neon lights on
floats
1941 - First all-female parade rolls, organized by the Krewe
of Venus
1942 - 1945 - Mardi Gras cancelled during World War II
1948 - Blaine Kern develops his first float
for the Krewe of Alla. His family's creations will create
floats for generations and eventually become the feature
attraction at Mardi Gras World in the Westbank
© 2002 N.O. Public Library*
1949
- Zulu has the first celebrity king: Louis "Satchmo"
Armstrong
1950 - The Duke and Duchess of Windsor visit Mardi Gras and
make international news by bowing to the King of the Rex
parade
1960 - Alvin Sharpe throws the
first Mardi Gras doubloons in the Rex parade. The
decorated aluminum coins become a traditional throw.
1970 - Krewe of Bacchus holds the first
ball that is open to the public
1977 - Arthur Hardy makes his debut as Mr. Mardi Gras.
1988 - The "Coconut Bill" is passed by the state
legislature, which bans Zulu from throwing their trademark
coconuts from the float. Zulu begins to gently hand the
coconuts to the crowds.
1996 -
NewOrleans.com publishes this Mardi Gras site.
1998 - A better coconut: Willie Clark, a local telecom
worker, invents a new, decorated coconut, which becomes is
adopted by Zulu the next year.
Mardi Gras is famous for making memories hazy. The
information in this timeline is as accurate as possible. If
you have more information or corrections, please
email us and we
will do our best to keep the site as accurate as we can.