Mardi Gras: When Victorians "Let the Good Times Roll"

Have you attended Mardi Gras?

  • Yes

    Votes: 5 23.8%
  • No, but I'd like to attend.

    Votes: 10 47.6%
  • No and I don't want to do so.

    Votes: 6 28.6%

  • Total voters
    21
Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Location
central NC
kers_on_Canal_Street_-_New_Orleans_Mardi_Gras_1893.jpg

(Public Domain)
Mardi Gras has traditionally been marked by debauchery, even in Victorian times. The engraving above done by B. West Clinedinst for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper in 1893 was entitled, "Promiscuous Maskers on Canal Street, New Orleans Mardi Gras." It depicts men and women partying in the street wearing masks and costumes with the Henry Clay Statue at Canal & Carondelet Streets in the background.

Mardi Gras celebrations began when New Orleans was incorporated as an outpost. While many French traditions were brought to the colony, the tradition of Mardi Gras transformed on its own. As early as 1837, mule-drawn carriages were parading to celebrate the spirit of Carnival and in the post-Civil War New Orleans, Mardi Gras traditions continued to build. Formal organization began in 1872 when Russian royalty actually visited the city during Mardi Gras.

rion-Ledger-of-Jackson-Mississippi-on-March-9-1867.jpg

Clarion Ledger of Jackson, Mississippi on March 9, 1867.
The police did their best to keep the peace.

he-Times-Picayune-of-New-Orleans-LA-on-25-Feb-1868.jpg

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 25, 1868.
Or did they?
"Considering, then, the peculiar state of society in a city as large as this, and the licensed abandonment and excitement of the carousal of Mardi Gras, we may congratulate the peace and order of the community, not only on the fact that two men were killed in the wild routs of the day, but upon the fact that there were only two that came to violent death. Because of this fact, we are not disposed to moralize against the carnival of Mardi Gras. We have only to say it was simply the misfortune of the poor fellows to get stabbed. They might have met a similar fate had they been celebrating the anniversary of the landing on this continent (not in this country,) of that precious batch of psalm-singers, the Pilgrim Fathers of New England. We do not hold that had it not been for Mardi Gras, these poor devils would not have been stabbed. Might as well say if iron ore had not been dug out of the mines of the earth, and wrought into steel weapons, they would not have been stabbed. Again we say, it was the misfortune simply of these fellows in getting stabbed, and congratulate the public that only two were so unfortunate."
~ The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 8, 1867.​
 
"It was the misfortune simply of these fellows in getting stabbed, and congratulate the public that only two were so unfortunate." - - Enough said. The illustration is certainly worthy of a closer look - rather a "risqué" costume in the front for the late 19th century. Thanks for posting and it's nice to see that nothing changes when it comes to "Come on Baby - Let the Good Times Roll"
 
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Friend of mine is from New Orleans ' born and bred 'and had an art gallery smack in the middle of things. She said locals just hate it, anyone who can gets out of town then comes back for the clean-up. Judging by her description of what the clean-up entails, I'd probably get out of town, too. You really, really don't want to know.
 
Just to clarify, Mardi Gras isn't just Fat Tuesday, but a festival period that begins immediately after the traditional 12 days of Christmas are concluded and ends at the stroke of midnight when Ash Wednesday arrives. There are many Mardi Gras parades, growing in size, complexity, and budget as they get closer to the weekend before Fat Tuesday. Until recently, King Rex was crowned on the last Sunday of the period, following the Zulu and Rex parades. The earlier weekends are less crowded and chaotic, visited more by people who live in the region and care more about the old traditions. It all starts with a parade consisting of exactly one streetcar, on January 6.

Each parade is put on by a different crewe, a type of local civic and social club that requires the payment of annual dues and does fundraising during the year, partly for charitable causes. As you move up in New Orleans society, you get invited to join crewes that are more prestigious and expensive, and put on more elaborate parades. You might guess that the schedule of parades is set in rigid tradition, but it's just the opposite, existing in a state of constant change as the fortunes of various crewes rise and fall. Only the organizations near the top of the pecking order show a great deal of stability. In fact, since the first time I participated, not a single parade remains in the exact same schedule slot.

Something like Mardi Gras is what you get when a religion is forced on people by law. When the French required everyone in Louisiana to strictly observe the 40 days of Lent, annoyed locals showed their contempt in any way they could.
 
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A little more background on New Orleans, before and after the Civil War...

I don't believe there is anywhere on the continent that has seen more governmental change. The land was once controlled by Native Americans, then the French, Spanish, French, Americans, Confederates, and then Americans again. As some locals have joked, they could have worn out a flagpole changing national flags. Maybe that's why they tend to be less focused on national politics and more inwardly focused, looking back at their history and realizing that national affiliation isn't always a permanent thing; therefore, their primary loyalty should be to New Orleans. It's a unique mindset that we don't see much anywhere else.

It was founded where it is for somewhat questionable reasons. Natchez came first. Without any historical weather data, it was the southernmost point along the Mississippi that was obviously flood-proof, and too far inland to be highly vulnerable to coastal storms. With lower ground on the other side of the river, a flood of any size would surely go in the direction away from the town. Then they got a little bolder and tried Baton Rouge, the southernmost reasonably high ground along the river. And then they went quite possibly (still open to debate) a step too far, founding New Orleans on a sliver of river bottom mud barely above sea level. The Indians must have thought the French had lost their minds.

To this day, the culture is very much like what you would expect from a city that knows it's not supposed to be there, and feels to its core that every day could be its last. Let the good times roll. Party while you still can, because anything could happen tomorrow. It could all be gone in a matter of hours, so celebrate every minute that life gives you; every song, every drink, every moment of sunshine, every kind word.

Under French and Spanish rule, there was no religious freedom, no separation of church and state. Saint Louis Cathedral was essentially the territorial capitol building. Louisiana was ruled by the man who officiated over mass on Sunday morning at that altar. The massive, lower buildings on both sides were administrative offices where the church managed the details of running the colony. Citizens who failed to conform to Catholic teachings were publicly punished out front, in what we now call Jackson Square. Slaves were also auctioned and sometimes punished there. It was a harsh time.

Spain controlled the city for a few years, as a result of a peace treaty having to do with a war in Europe that didn't otherwise touch this area. But the Spanish only wanted New Orleans to prevent the French from having it, so that it couldn't be used as a naval base for the French to harass Spanish ships sailing to and from Texas, Mexico, and various islands to the south. In other words, they didn't love New Orleans. That's why the people didn't stick around when it reverted to French control, after another peace treaty. Today, there's no lasting Spanish cultural influence remaining in in New Orleans, except for the architecture.

Why architecture? Because there was a massive fire that destroyed most of the French Quarter while it was under Spanish ownership, and the Spanish rebuilt it. New Orleans has been destroyed by storms, floods, warfare, and fire, but it was the fire that came last, so the Spanish did the most recent French Quarter rebuilding. Those fancy townhouse railings and awning supports have been duplicated and sold nationwide as French designs, but they are actually Spanish. Only a few French homes have survived, small and ordinary dwellings that nobody notices when they walk by. And of course, Saint Louis Cathedral.

The French brought with them many customs from their home country, including Mardi Gras and above ground burial. Some tourist carriage drivers will tell you that bodies buried below ground will float out during floods, but I've taken photos that prove otherwise. Yes, there are conventional cemeteries there, and the coffins stay put. Above ground burial, not so much. Rent must be paid to the owners by subsequent generations, or they will evict your bones. No, I'm not kidding. Those cemetery owners are not nice people. No survivors left to pay? Out you go.

French settlers, out of town mostly, began to intermarry with Cajuns, Acadia Indians from eastern Canada exiled there by the British for being too friendly with the French in Quebec. This was the start of Creole culture. (I use Creole with a capital C to refer to that culture which is specific to Louisiana, as opposed to creole with a small c for French mixed race ethnic groups scattered all over the world.) Then free blacks got involved in it, many from Caribbean islands. This was (and is) a truly nonracial culture. Most Creoles today have a mix of French, Indian, and African blood. Creole purists don't care about your race, as long as you were born in Louisiana, you're a member of the Catholic Church, and you speak French at home as your first language.

Back in the city, slaves enjoying Sunday afternoons off in Congo Square on the edge of the French Quarter combined musical ideas from their homes in Africa and European ideas that they had heard more recently, and invented jazz. It's one of the few examples in world history where we know exactly when and where a major, significant style of music was created.

English speaking whites have been moving into New Orleans since Thomas Jefferson acquired the land for the US, slowly eroding the Creole culture, pushing it out of town to the west, toward Lafayette. 70 years ago, the French Quarter had two daily French language newspapers. In my visits there, I've only overheard two conversations conducted in French. Now I understand why Quebec fights so hard for their language and culture, which can be so easily lost through bilingualism, in one generation.

At this point in time, there are many residents of New Orleans who hope to make the city more American, more typical and ordinary, more Southern. I hope they fail, or move away. We have all the rest of America to be typical America. We only have one New Orleans. So, visit it, love it, hate it, do whatever you want to do, as long as you don't move there and try to change it.

When you honor, respect, and celebrate New Orleans Mardi Gras, you are honoring, respecting, and celebrating all of this rich heritage, the legacy of the most exotic city in America.
 
A little more background on New Orleans, before and after the Civil War...

I don't believe there is anywhere on the continent that has seen more governmental change. The land was once controlled by Native Americans, then the French, Spanish, French, Americans, Confederates, and then Americans again. As some locals have joked, they could have worn out a flagpole changing national flags. Maybe that's why they tend to be less focused on national politics and more inwardly focused, looking back at their history and realizing that national affiliation isn't always a permanent thing; therefore, their primary loyalty should be to New Orleans. It's a unique mindset that we don't see much anywhere else.

It was founded where it is for somewhat questionable reasons. Natchez came first. Without any historical weather data, it was the southernmost point along the Mississippi that was obviously flood-proof, and too far inland to be highly vulnerable to coastal storms. With lower ground on the other side of the river, a flood of any size would surely go in the direction away from the town. Then they got a little bolder and tried Baton Rouge, the southernmost reasonably high ground along the river. And then they went quite possibly (still open to debate) a step too far, founding New Orleans on a sliver of river bottom mud barely above sea level. The Indians must have thought the French had lost their minds.

To this day, the culture is very much like what you would expect from a city that knows it's not supposed to be there, and feels to its core that every day could be its last. Let the good times roll. Party while you still can, because anything could happen tomorrow. It could all be gone in a matter of hours, so celebrate every minute that life gives you; every song, every drink, every moment of sunshine, every kind word.

Under French and Spanish rule, there was no religious freedom, no separation of church and state. Saint Louis Cathedral was essentially the territorial capitol building. Louisiana was ruled by the man who officiated over mass on Sunday morning at that altar. The massive, lower buildings on both sides were administrative offices where the church managed the details of running the colony. Citizens who failed to conform to Catholic teachings were publicly punished out front, in what we now call Jackson Square. Slaves were also auctioned and sometimes punished there. It was a harsh time.

Spain controlled the city for a few years, as a result of a peace treaty having to do with a war in Europe that didn't otherwise touch this area. But the Spanish only wanted New Orleans to prevent the French from having it, so that it couldn't be used as a naval base for the French to harass Spanish ships sailing to and from Texas, Mexico, and various islands to the south. In other words, they didn't love New Orleans. That's why the people didn't stick around when it reverted to French control, after another peace treaty. Today, there's no lasting Spanish cultural influence remaining in in New Orleans, except for the architecture.

Why architecture? Because there was a massive fire that destroyed most of the French Quarter while it was under Spanish ownership, and the Spanish rebuilt it. New Orleans has been destroyed by storms, floods, warfare, and fire, but it was the fire that came last, so the Spanish did the most recent French Quarter rebuilding. Those fancy townhouse railings and awning supports have been duplicated and sold nationwide as French designs, but they are actually Spanish. Only a few French homes have survived, small and ordinary dwellings that nobody notices when they walk by. And of course, Saint Louis Cathedral.

The French brought with them many customs from their home country, including Mardi Gras and above ground burial. Some tourist carriage drivers will tell you that bodies buried below ground will float out during floods, but I've taken photos that prove otherwise. Yes, there are conventional cemeteries there, and the coffins stay put. Above ground burial, not so much. Rent must be paid to the owners by subsequent generations, or they will evict your bones. No, I'm not kidding. Those cemetery owners are not nice people. No survivors left to pay? Out you go.

French settlers, out of town mostly, began to intermarry with Cajuns, Acadia Indians from eastern Canada exiled there by the British for being too friendly with the French in Quebec. This was the start of Creole culture. (I use Creole with a capital C to refer to that culture which is specific to Louisiana, as opposed to creole with a small c for French mixed race ethnic groups scattered all over the world.) Then free blacks got involved in it, many from Caribbean islands. This was (and is) a truly nonracial culture. Most Creoles today have a mix of French, Indian, and African blood. Creole purists don't care about your race, as long as you were born in Louisiana, you're a member of the Catholic Church, and you speak French at home as your first language.

Back in the city, slaves enjoying Sunday afternoons off in Congo Square on the edge of the French Quarter combined musical ideas from their homes in Africa and European ideas that they had heard more recently, and invented jazz. It's one of the few examples in world history where we know exactly when and where a major, significant style of music was created.

English speaking whites have been moving into New Orleans since Thomas Jefferson acquired the land for the US, slowly eroding the Creole culture, pushing it out of town to the west, toward Lafayette. 70 years ago, the French Quarter had two daily French language newspapers. In my visits there, I've only overheard two conversations conducted in French. Now I understand why Quebec fights so hard for their language and culture, which can be so easily lost through bilingualism, in one generation.

At this point in time, there are many residents of New Orleans who hope to make the city more American, more typical and ordinary, more Southern. I hope they fail, or move away. We have all the rest of America to be typical America. We only have one New Orleans. So, visit it, love it, hate it, do whatever you want to do, as long as you don't move there and try to change it.

When you honor, respect, and celebrate New Orleans Mardi Gras, you are honoring, respecting, and celebrating all of this rich heritage, the legacy of the most exotic city in America.
New Orleans today is not like the Queen City of the South that it was as late as 50 years ago when it was fighting off upstarts Houston, Dallas and Atlanta for the title. Remember NOLA once boasted a US Mint and still is the site of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. It was an important city, a bustling mostly working class town full of economic opportunity. It was definitely class conscious and segregated until the mid 60’s and what might surprise many is that is was about 2/3s white through that time. The food has always been good, the music too, but the NOLA was much more than that. Now that’s about all that is left, it’s mainly a service industry dominated tourist town. New Orleans is still great to visit if you’re careful where you go but not so much to live there and raise a family.
 
My experiences with Mardi Gras have been a week or two before Fat Tuesday. Like @Southern Unionist said the earlier weekends are far less crowded and a lot of the folks we met lived in the region. They talked about the Mardi Gras traditions they grew up with and how they wanted to pass them along to their children.

I'd be interested in attending Mardi Gras in Cajun country, some place like Lafayette. I've heard that it's very different there. Of course lots of places including Mobile, AL and Natchez, MS celebrate Mardi Gras.
 
I have never been to Mardi Gras, but I think I’d like to at least once. I do have beads from there, given to me by a gal I knew through an old time BBS! We had guinea pigs..as a surprise one year, she sent me a package of beads. They are quite heavy, so I never wear them all at once.
 
It was definitely class conscious and segregated until the mid 60’s

It's gone through different phases. At one point, it was so multicultural that successful racist white business men were keeping their families in Natchez so that their children wouldn't be exposed to it. Those men would go home every weekend via steamboat. The port areas used to be loaded with free blacks, Hispanics, and mixed race individuals from all over Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It had a highly transient population, which works against creating a rigid class structure. Conventional Southern white society was concentrated in the Magazine district, more than a mile from the French Quarter.
 
It's gone through different phases. At one point, it was so multicultural that successful racist white business men were keeping their families in Natchez so that their children wouldn't be exposed to it. Those men would go home every weekend via steamboat. The port areas used to be loaded with free blacks, Hispanics, and mixed race individuals from all over Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It had a highly transient population, which works against creating a rigid class structure. Conventional Southern white society was concentrated in the Magazine district, more than a mile from the French Quarter.
Every city has a class structure and New Orleans had/has one of the most rigid. I do think you over-estimate the social interaction that occurred between various racial and ethnic groups in town. From all I’ve read there was a serious caste system in place, first by Creoles and their European mores and later by the Anglos based on money and connection. I’m sure there were some in Natchez that viewed the place as sin city enough to keep their families away but not enough to matter.

I’ve had many friends and acquaintances who were native New Orleanians. They ranged from uptown and midtown working class, Italian ethnic in the Fairgrounds, new money at Lakeview and old money in the Garden District. Exactly 2 decided to stay in the city. It looks like a lot of fun from the outside and it sure can be, it’s my favorite place for a big game, but dysfunctional if you are of ordinary means and deal with it every day.

As for French architecture you are correct that most structures burned during the Spanish occupation. But next time there check out the Ursuline Convent on Chartes St. which predates St. Louis Cathedral by a little bit. It’s a real gem, a friend of mine in college who is now probably the most recognized historical architect in town worked high school summers to help in the restoration of damage from Hurricane Betsy and taught me about its significance.
 
Never been to Mardi Gras but have visited NO several times. The most memorable ones were on Halloween and this past spring. You have never seen a party until you have been on the French Quarter during Halloween. This past spring, my wife and I took the walking food tour. I highly recommend it. New Orleans and San Francisco have the best cuisine in America hands down. On that same trip we went to museum in Mobile. The docent says that Marci Gras started in Mobile but New Orleans gets all the publicity. I don’t know much about it either way.
 
Been many time to NO and Mobile. Laissez les bons temps rouler I prefer Mobile as its still more about the event and not tourism. Don't get me wrong I had some GREAT times in NO in my younger days. But Mobile still has the class.

 
Friend of mine is from New Orleans ' born and bred 'and had an art gallery smack in the middle of things. She said locals just hate it, anyone who can gets out of town then comes back for the clean-up. Judging by her description of what the clean-up entails, I'd probably get out of town, too. You really, really don't want to know.

I just listened to a podcast on Planet Money about a woman who used to be a housekeeper at a New Orleans hotel. She quit housekeeping as soon as she had enough money saved up to become an entrepreneur (renting out Air B and B's) specifically because cleaning up after partiers was so nasty.

(Here's the podcast.)
 
So, in Julia Grant's memoirs, she wrote about her years in St. Louis before her marriage. She wrote, "A great many of our friends used to go to New Orleans to be present at the Mardi Gras festival. Nell and I wanted to go, but it was not convenient for papa to allow us to go."

(The book does not say precisely why it was not convenient for their father to allow them to go. So, was this a money thing? Did their father not have the ability to take the time out of his schedule to escort them there? Or did he just not want to exposure his young daughters to that environment?)

She then mentioned a dream that she claimed that she had in which she arrived in New Orleans to great fanfare. Years later, in 1880, she and her husband did arrive to New Orleans to great fanfare.
 
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I've gone to Mardi Gras in NO almost every year since I can remember, last time I went was 2017. I took a picture of this historical marker located in 100 block of Royal Street, right off Canal. Its a little bit of forgotten history, that everyone walks by but doesn't notice. I found it accidentally years ago, but just recently got a picture of it, when we went to NO for national championship back in January.
 
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