Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans | National Geographic
Summary
TLDRNew Orleans' Mardi Gras is a vibrant celebration that begins weeks ahead of the Christian season of Lent. The city buzzes with activity, from bakers producing 50 king cakes a day to costume makers crafting ornate attire for lavish balls and parades. Traditions are preserved through old-school king cakes, century-old carnival exhibits, and the crew system that organizes festivities. The event is a significant part of the local economy, requiring diverse skills to construct elaborate floats. Music is an integral element, with New Orleans' musicians deeply influenced by the carnival's rhythm and energy.
Takeaways
- 🎉 New Orleans Mardi Gras is a significant celebration that requires extensive preparations weeks or even months in advance, marking the start of the Christian season of Lent.
- 🍰 Bakeries like New Orleans Cake Cafe become incredibly busy during Carnival season, producing up to 50 king cakes a day, including non-traditional versions like goat cheese and apple stuffed cakes.
- 🎲 The traditional king cake includes a tiny baby or trinket inside, which brings obligations for the person who finds it, such as buying next year's cake, though some places put the baby on the outside.
- 🧣 Sally Hedrick and her son create over 150 ornate costumes for Mardi Gras, costing up to $3,000, for social organizations' balls and parades, highlighting the event's lavish cultural expression.
- 👗 Men dressing in elaborate costumes for Mardi Gras is particularly noted as a departure from the norm, adding a unique aspect to the festivities.
- 🎭 The Louisiana State Museum showcases over a century and a half of Mardi Gras traditions, including items as old as ball invitations from the 1850s, revealing the deep historical roots of the celebration.
- 🎊 The crew system is central to Mardi Gras celebrations, with numerous clubs (krewe spelled with a 'K') organizing lavish balls and parades, a tradition that adds structure and community to the festivities.
- 💎 The Knights of Sparta, a Mardi Gras krewe founded in 1951, exemplifies the secrecy and tradition of krewe leadership, with the captain's identity being hidden to preserve the mystique of the carnival.
- 🏁 Float dens are bustling with activity as Mardi Gras approaches, housing the construction of elaborate floats that are essential to the parades and can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- 🎶 Music is an indispensable element of Mardi Gras, with Grammy-winning artist Ervin Mayfield emphasizing that Mardi Gras is deeply interwoven with New Orleans' musical culture and community.
- 🏖 To truly understand Mardi Gras, natives suggest that visitors should experience it multiple times and stay longer than a day, indicating the complexity and depth of the celebration.
Q & A
What is the significance of Mardi Gras in New Orleans?
-Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a major celebration that takes place before the Christian season of Lent begins. It involves extensive preparations and is marked by various festivities including parades, lavish balls, and the tradition of the king cake.
When does the Mardi Gras season start and end?
-The Mardi Gras season starts on January 6th and ends on Fat Tuesday.
What is the role of bakeries during the Mardi Gras season?
-Bakeries, like the New Orleans Cake Cafe and Bakery, become very busy during the Mardi Gras season, producing as many as 50 king cakes a day to meet the demand for this traditional pastry.
What is unique about the traditional New Orleans king cake?
-The traditional New Orleans king cake has a tiny baby or other trinket baked inside. Whoever finds the trinket has the obligation to buy the next year's king cake.
How do costumes play a role in Mardi Gras celebrations?
-Costumes are an essential part of Mardi Gras, with social organizations commissioning ornate costumes for the lavish balls and parades. These costumes can be very expensive, costing thousands of dollars.
What does the Louisiana State Museum contribute to preserving Mardi Gras traditions?
-The Louisiana State Museum showcases over a century and a half of New Orleans Mardi Gras traditions through its exhibits and occasionally offers tours of its warehouse, which houses thousands of costumes and other items related to the festival.
What is the 'crew system' in the context of Mardi Gras?
-The 'crew system' refers to the clubs known as Mardi Gras crews that organize and participate in the celebrations, including parades and balls. These crews have been a central part of Mardi Gras celebrations for the last 150 years.
Why do members of Mardi Gras crews wear masks?
-Members of Mardi Gras crews wear masks as part of the tradition to hide their identity. This allows them to represent their crew without personal association during the festivities.
What are the economic impacts of Mardi Gras in New Orleans?
-Mardi Gras has a significant economic impact on New Orleans. It creates jobs for many people, including carpenters, artists, welders, and mechanics, who are involved in constructing and decorating the elaborate floats.
How important is music to the Mardi Gras celebrations?
-Music is an integral part of Mardi Gras, with celebrations taking place not just in the parades but also in homes, on the streets, and at parties and receptions. It is said that it's hard to have Mardi Gras without music, and it plays a significant role in shaping the musicians of New Orleans.
What advice do New Orleans natives give to those wanting to understand Mardi Gras?
-New Orleans natives suggest that to truly understand Mardi Gras, one should visit and stay in the city for an extended period, rather than just for a single day, to experience the full range of traditions and festivities.
Outlines
🎉 New Orleans Mardi Gras Celebrations
The first paragraph introduces the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, highlighting the extensive preparations that begin weeks and even months in advance. It discusses the increased workload for bakers during the carnival season, with some establishments producing up to 50 king cakes daily. The paragraph also delves into the tradition of the king cake, which contains a small baby figurine or trinket, symbolizing obligations for the finder to provide the next year's cake. The existence of old-school king cakes and their loyal followers is noted, as well as the variety of costumes made by Sally Hedrick and her son for social organizations and lavish balls. The paragraph concludes with a mention of the Louisiana State Museum, which showcases over a century and a half of Mardi Gras traditions, and the crew system that revolves around clubs and lavish balls, emphasizing the commitment and cost involved for members.
🎶 The Role of Music in Mardi Gras
The second paragraph focuses on the integral role of music in Mardi Gras celebrations. It features Grammy-winning artist Ervin Mayfield, who explains that Mardi Gras is not confined to a single day and is a pervasive part of New Orleans' culture, present in homes, streets, parties, and receptions. The paragraph emphasizes that while not all musicians start playing because of Mardi Gras, they inevitably become involved in it in some way. It concludes with the notion that understanding Mardi Gras requires multiple visits and extended stays, suggesting that the experience is richer when fully immersed over time.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mardi Gras
💡King Cakes
💡Carnival Season
💡Costumes
💡Social Organizations
💡Louisiana State Museum
💡Crew System
💡Masking
💡Floats
💡Music
💡Tradition
Highlights
New Orleans Mardi Gras is a significant celebration before the Christian season of Lent begins.
Preparations for Mardi Gras in New Orleans start weeks and even months in advance.
Bakers in New Orleans experience increased predawn workloads during the Carnival season.
New Orleans Cake Cafe and Bakery produces up to 50 king cakes a day during Mardi Gras.
Non-traditional king cakes, like goat cheese and apple stuffed cakes, are also popular in New Orleans.
Old school king cakes in New Orleans have been a tradition for 50 to 100 years and have a loyal following.
The person who finds a baby or trinket in their king cake is obligated to buy the next year's king cake.
Sally Hedrick and her son make ornate costumes for social organizations throwing lavish balls and parades during Mardi Gras.
Some costumes for Mardi Gras can cost more than three thousand dollars.
The Louisiana State Museum showcases over a century and a half of New Orleans Mardi Gras traditions.
The oldest item in the Mardi Gras collection is a ball invitation from the 1850s.
Mardi Gras celebrations have evolved around the 'crew system' involving clubs known as Mardi Gras crews.
The Knights of Sparta crew, founded in 1951, has been parading for the last 30 years and hosts a masquerade ball and parade.
The identity of the cruise captain is kept secret to honor the tradition of masking and hiding one's identity during Mardi Gras.
Being part of a Mardi Gras crew requires a significant commitment in terms of time and cost for members.
Float dens, or warehouses, house the construction of elaborate floats that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take a month or more to build.
The construction and decoration of Mardi Gras floats contribute significantly to the local economy, employing various skilled workers.
Music is an essential part of Mardi Gras, with Grammy-winning artist Ervin Mayfield emphasizing its importance and influence on New Orleans musicians.
Mardi Gras is not a one-day event but rather a season-long celebration deeply ingrained in the culture and daily life of New Orleans.
To truly understand Mardi Gras, one must experience it over time and not just for a single day.
Transcripts
[Music]
new orleans mardi gras is more than just
a celebration before the christian
season of lent begins
in this city preparations for the big
day begin
weeks and even months in advance
early mornings are nothing new for
bakers but the predawn workload grows
during carnival season
from january 6 through fat tuesday new
orleans cake cafe and
bakery is a beehive of activity where
they make as many as
50 king cakes a day here they make
non-traditional
goat cheese and apple stuffed cakes
there's very
old school king cakes in new orleans
they've been at it for 50 60 100 years
some of them
and they have a loyal following the old
school king cake has a tiny baby or
other trinket baked inside
and whoever gets the trinket has
obligations such as buy
next year's king cake here the baby goes
on the outside
the king cake is a traditional new
orleans mardi gras pastry
you'll find pastries like this all over
the country and all over the world that
they're only served for a certain season
during the year
[Music]
in another part of town sally hedrick
and her son are making 150 or more
ornate costumes these are for the social
organizations throwing the lavish balls
and parades
some may go for more than three thousand
dollars
it's as rewarding to see the women in
these costumes gleam
but it's more rewarding to see the men
because a man doesn't get to dress up
in beautiful clothes he's usually in a
tuxedo
hedrick works on costumes year-round
refurbishing ones that took a bit of a
beating during last year's mardi gras
celebrations
and creating new works
a look back at years past the louisiana
state museum lets visitors see more than
a century and a half of new orleans
mardi gras traditions
the oldest item in the carnival
collection is something that we were
very fortunate to acquire
just a couple of years ago it's a ball
invitation that dates to the 1850s
the carnival exhibit at the museum on
jackson square only shows the tip of the
iceberg
however the museum's warehouse
periodically offers tours
where visitors can see the thousands of
costumes and other items
the way that we celebrate mardi gras now
and for the last 150 years revolves
around what we call the crew system
there are all these clubs that exist
that are called mardi gras crews
for the dozens of crews spelled with a k
lavish balls highlight mardi gras the
knights of sparta crew was founded in
1951
for the last 30 years they paraded in
the city
and currently host a masquerade ball and
parade that falls on the next to the
last weekend of carnival season
the cruise captain does not publicly
reveal his identity
he says it isn't about secrecy i wear
the mask however because it is the
tradition of carnival
to mask to hide one's identity
because when i represent my
carnival crew the knights of sparta i am
simply the captain
one should not know my name or who i
am belonging to or leading a crew
takes a big commitment it is very costly
to the members of the organization
paying dues buying the trinkets the
throws as we call them to throw off the
floats
ball gowns for the ladies tickets to
different functions and we do it because
of a sense of
tradition
[Music]
as fat tuesday approaches warehouses
throughout the city come to life
float dens as they are called house the
floats that can cost hundreds of
thousands of dollars to construct
it can take a month or more to build and
decorate the elaborate floats
some of which date back to the early
1900s
it's part of the economy here too it
puts a lot of people to work i mean you
know to make a float like this you need
carpenters
you you need artists you need welders
you need tire people you need mechanics
that's a lot involved
[Music]
and a final vital ingredient for mardi
gras is the music
grammy-winning artist ervin mayfield
from television you see these parades go
by people throwing beads
but what you really don't see is that
mardi gras lives out in people's houses
it lives out on the streets it lives out
in the halls and the parties and
receptions
and it's not a thing over one day
so i would say in terms of music you
know it's very hard to have mardi gras
without the music
and he says any musician growing up in
new orleans is shaped by mardi gras
you're a leg on a table that helps the
table stand up the music the food
the people for a young musician you
wouldn't start playing music because of
mardi gras necessarily but if you are a
musician you will be involved in mardi
gras
a certain way
[Music]
most new orleans natives say anyone
hoping to understand mardi gras
needs to come back often and stay a
while not just for one day
[Music]
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