Explain Mardi Gras to an Outsider

1.) What is the history of the tradition behind the costumes and floats? Is it basically like Carnival in Brazil?

It's more like a carnival in Africa.

2.) What is the purpose and function of a Krewe, and why did they take mythological characters as their respective namesakes?

BUNCH of retards acting like children fighting over 5 cent trinkets



3.) Are the Mardi Gras balls pretty much just Nola high society, or do regular folks like myself have the capability to join a Krewe and party with y'all elites?

People like you can only stand on the sidewalk



Wishing all of you a safe and enjoyable Fat Tuesday.

F You

Texas

Mardi Gras started in Mobile, Alabama and it's basically 2 1/2 weeks of partying with parades/balls almost every night leading up to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of lent.

Lent is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It's a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection at Easter.

It's really a lot of fun for children and adults and I would encourage you to come an experience it. I'm older now, but in my younger days, I loved Mardi Gras. IMO, Mobile Mardi Gras is much more children friendly than New Orleans, but it's a lot of fun there too, but it's a completely different experience.

Just stay home and drink like I'm doing.

Do your own homework

Just another excuse for people to get pished and blackout drunk

quote:

---

1.) What is the history of the tradition behind the costumes and floats?

---

In short, the Catholic season of fasting and self-denial called Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, so a lot of people overimbibe on the Tuesday before all that fasting (called "Mardi Gras" in French or "Fat Tuesday" in English). This Carnival Season has been going on in Europe for centuries and was introduced by the French near New Orleans in 1699. The City of Mobile was also part of the French colony and residents often gravitated between there and New Orleans. Mobile began having parades for other reasons in August and on New Year's Eve but moved these parades to Carnival Season and now claim retroactively that they were really technically the first Mardi Gras parades...even though Mardi Gras has never been celebrated in August or on New Year's Eve. Modern day Mobile's Mardi Gras parades truly became what they are today starting in 1868 after resident Joe Cain had visited New Orleans in 1867 and saw what the parades were like there.

quote:

---

Is it basically like Carnival in Brazil?

---

Yes, Carnival Season is celebrated there too, but it can vary slightly by country.

quote:

---

2.) What is the purpose and function of a Krewe, and why did they take mythological characters as their respective namesakes?

---

Long ago, revelers would join secret societies and wear masks to satirize the French kings at Carnival. Today, they have free speech but still wear masks as a part of tradition.

quote:

---

3.) Are the Mardi Gras balls pretty much just Nola high society, or do regular folks like myself have the capability to join a Krewe and party with y'all elites?

---

There are many krewes in existence today so things can vary a good bit from krewe to krewe. Some krewes date to 1857 and out of tradition won't allow in any new families who weren't already members back then while other krewes let in anybody. Usually, the newer the krewe, the fewer restrictions there are to join.