We may be in the middle of a global pandemic but that isn t stopping New Orleans from celebrating Mardi Gras! Residents have turned their yards, homes and businesses into stationary floats.
While I have never been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, I have visited the Crescent City during one of the annual trips I take with my daughter to celebrate her birthday. We ve walked Beale Street, taken the trolly down Saint Charles Boulevard and eaten beignets at Cafe Du Monde. We even saw the house used as the facade of Miss Robichaux s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies in
American Horror Story, Coven. The home is really named Buckner Manor.
Why Do We Throw Beads at Mardi Gras?
Although for Mardi Gras 2021 the opportunity to catch beads will be few, if at all, we still have many things we can learn about our coveted tradition.
According to ehow.com, Mardi Gras started in Medieval Europe and eventually moved to New Orleans. In 1703, the small French-Canadian settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile held its first Mardi Gras celebration.
The idea of float throws came about in the 1870s, started by the Twelfth Night Revelers in New Orleans. They were the first to start the tradition of throwing parade goers prizes.