Mardi Gras
 

We kicked off the season with our first party last night. They announced the king, queen and the court. This is just the start of the season and I'm already thinking..."Oh lawdy, here we go again." I hate it when it starts right after New Year. There's no down time between the holidays. Oh well, who all is celebrating?
Are you doing costumes or ball gowns? We have one of each.
Anyone going to make it to N.O.???

I've never quite managed to be there... :(

A couple of years ago, I worked for a consulting company - we were building a system for someone based in New Orleans, and our schedule was timed such that we would be doing the user acceptance testing during March and April. Mardi Gras was actually on the schedule ;) mid-March that year. But the schedule slipped, and we wound up going down to N.O. the week AFTER Mardi Gras :( when the party was over, but the mess had yet to be cleaned up.

One of these years, I'll get there... Meantime, have fun! :D

I will be down at Mardi Gras. My parents got me plane tickets down there and back for a present, and they'll be spotting me some spending money too. One of my pledge brothers lives down in New Orleans, so we'll be staying at his place. Should be an amazing time, I'm definitely bringing down a camera for this one. The only problem is that I'm taking a 6 am flight down to New Orleans, which means I'm going to be even more of a wreck on Saturday night.

Guess you do what you've gotta do to live it up.

Collin

OH MY GAWD, Collin is going to be loose in N O for M D!

JMOM, head to the storm cellar, oops Kansas talk! Well just hide out:D

Have the oysters sent to the house do not go out for them in fear of KS KID on the loose!:D

Hey mom! I'm kind of excited about mardi gras this year. The president of our chapter was chosen as a maid for Centurion. Her cousin (also a member of our chapter) is a past maid. It's so exciting! The ball is on the 19th and then the parade is on the 2nd....the day before the superbowl.:rolleyes: I can't wait to be in New Orleans.

B.

Haha, you got that right Tom - since I'll be with a kid who lives down there and knows the place inside-out, should be ridiculous. I can't wait, kinda counting down the days.

Collin

collin have a ball
 

been there...done that...
you'll have an incredible time.
mmcat
:D

Delt Alum

I would say ZZ-kai-, you billy, or James

Go BIG GUY the gustto as long as not KS R C amn Beer truck!!!!!!!:D
Do Me a favor if get a chance!!!!! Oyster Bar on Bourbon St.!!!!! Get a Dozen and a tall glass of Chardonnay, Chilled not shaken of course!!!!! Well maybe 3-4 Chards! 1 For you and the rest for me!!!!!!:D

GO BIG DAWG, for the rest of us who are not there!!!!!:)

My daughter will be there. One of her sisters live in N.O. and has an Aunt with an apt. IN THE QUARTER!!!! She is so pumped up!
I told her some of you GC cuties would be there.

I heard Brittany Spears was one of the guests...so, Collin, you gonna make your move? J/J

:eek: Scary thought of the day-All the GC guys in New Orleans for Mardi Gras......Havoc would run amuck through the streets.:eek:

Of course, if it were the fantastic LADIES of GC......well hell, hide the men cause we would be the Hit of the Town!!!!!;)

I guess I'm going to go. I've done it so many times, its really more of a hassle now. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Mardi Gras, but when you live accross the lake, it becomes a mega hassle to fight the Causeway traffic to get to the good parades.

I was a maid in a local Krewe when I was 15. Was really awesome, although I didn't like riding on the float. Made me wanna yak from the constant motion:eek:

But its a great thing, overall. I love being a native New Orleanian :D

Although I have been to NO and the quarter, I have never been there during Mardi Gras. Everyone always talks about how crowded it is then (like it already isn't crowded in the quarter! it scares me to think it could be MORE crowded, yikes!).

Anyway, I have been to the one in Galveston...I know, not the genuine article, but still a big deal to Houstonians. The last time was with my sorority sisters. We stayed at one of my sister's parents' house on the island and we walked down to the strand. We were having fun and taking pics and stuff when we heard gunshots and then a guy fell off a balcony and all of a sudden there were SWAT guys with shields and helmets charging through the crowd. They told everyone to get back up against the buildings and crouch down, so we did. One of my sisters kept telling me "I don't wanna die!!!!!" It was so scary. Then there were more gunshots. Then they arrested some people and told everyone Mardi Gras was officially over...big stuff...

Anyway, then it started raining really hard and the streets started to flood and several of the girls' cars got flooded out before we could try to move them to higher ground from where they were parked at our sister's house...big fiasco. And I always wondered why my mom said that it was so dangerous :(

My sister's boyfriend is flying down for Mardi Gras. He is looking to buy beads. Any suggestions?

iteresting desings on the beads. Like flowers or croses or fish or something like that.

DO NOT buy them in the Quarter. Its like a 400% markup.

http://www.accentannex.com/

Is a local store for throws. Pretty good prices. Not sure if you have to buy in bulk though.

I was going to say the same thing juniorgrrl. Definitely don't buy them anywhere near the Quarter. You'll get severely ripped off. I may go to Mardi Gras if I'm not working that weekend. I know this sounds cheesy but I'd rather stay around Baton Rouge and go to Spanish Town or even go to Mamou and Eunice for the day rather than fight the crowds in New Orleans.

Re: Mardi Gras
 

I know what you mean! I am about to drop already. For Krewe 1 (Northshore), we had our ball on December 29. It was really nice because the King and Queen are husband and wife. Their oldest daughter (15) is a princess and the youngest (3) is their page. The page is so tiny that she had to have "an assistant" for the mantles. That Krewe parades this Saturday and it will be the inaugural parade. I was in costume and hubby was in a tux. Right after this parade we have a float party for Krewe 3. For Krewe 2 (Northshore), we just have a ball, which is the next Saturday. I wear a costume and hubby is in a tux. I was a maid last year so I got to wear a very elaborate costume. We have a big sis (previous maid)/lil sis (new maid) party tonight. Plus we are still practicing for the tableau. For Krewe 3 (New Orleans), hubby and I alternate riding. He is riding this year so I get a new gown, which is supposed to come in tomorrow! The parade is February 11. My friend and her husband are Queen and King of a Metairie Krewe. Their ball was New Year's and the parade is Feb. 2. So much to do and so very little time.

He could wait till he got down here. You can buy s*it loads from Sam's Warehouse. That's where a lot of people are getting their stuff from.

B

Re: Re: Mardi Gras
 

Which Northshore Krewes are you in? PM if you want :)

aopirose Sounds like you're season is going to be a blast! I can't believe you started DEC. 29!!!
Hubby was popping his "studs" Sat. so our neighbor is bringing some new tuxs by tomorrow night.

I was a Duchess several years back (now, the women my age are usually Queens) It was the best time! Of course I'm glad we have pictures because I'm not so sure I'd remember the "details". Our Captain made sure no glass went empty.

Your schedule is far more hectic than mine. We were in 3, but it became redundant so now we're in a women's and mens'. I like wearing the ball gown the best. We throw "pearls" and wear our masks. My daughter was to be a debutante, but soro stuff is in conflict. It's no biggie to her though. Maybe she will want to do it next year.

Riding the float is probably THE most fun! What those people will do for beads!

JAM,

This is my absolute favorite time of the year. I complain but with a smile. I can go either way with the costume or the gown. I like the Krewe costume because they are big and roomy and you can wear nice comfy flats. On the hand, I love getting new gowns.

I do hope that things work out with your daughter. I was looking at my scrapbook last night. I was a deb a while ago ;) and it was so much fun. I still see a few girls from my coterie.

I agree that riding is the best especially the night parade in New Orleans. It is almost hard to describe to someone who has never done it. Everyone should have it on their "Things to do before I ..." list. I always throw to children, old folks and the people BEHIND the ladders.

A few days ago, I had started a thread related to what people do for beads called Carnival. I tell you the best laughs that I have had come at the expense of men when the temperature drops. :D

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll pass them along. I only wish that I could join in the festivities in New Orleans. Maybe next year!

It sounds like you guys are speaking a diffnt language. What is all this stuff about Krewes, Kings, Queens etc? I'm clearly a northerner
Heidi

Got to it before I could :). See, some of us just see the big parade and lots of beads. I take it this is like a month long thing?

Sorry Heidi and any other lost soul,

Carnival - The word Carnival is sometimes used interchangeably with Mardi Gras, but that isn't correct. The Carnival (a Latin term that translates into farewell to the flesh) season begins on the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6) or Twelfth Night as in the twelve days of Christmas and culminates on Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday). Mardi Gras is only one day. The season can last up to two months. It just depends on when Ash Wednesday falls.

A Krewe (Old English spelling of crew) is a Carnival organization. The membership roster varies by organization - all male, all female or both. How to join? Most are by invitation only and don't worry if they want you, they come to you. It is a major NO-NO to ask. There are more open Krewes who aren't as strict as all that.

King, Queen, Maid, Duchess - Depending on the organization, they may or may not have these. Carnival is about pretend and many pretend to be royalty for a day. It is a high honor to be selected.

Debutante - A young woman who is being presented to society. Some consider it a throw back to when fathers were saying hey my daughter is available, but again it is a high honor to be selected. Some Krewes have only debs but sometimes a Duchess or maid can be a deb. It just depends on the club.

Ball - Just what it means, a fancy party. Most Krewes have a only a ball.

Tableau - An organized skit or performance that carries out the theme of the ball.

www.mglinks.com is a helpful tool.

Thanks for the explanation, aopirose. I was really lost too -- I'm going to check out that website ASAP.

Hearing about Mardi Gras has me totally intrigued. Can anybody suggest any books (novels would be great) or movies or websites that provide insight into New Orleans life in general? It is like a different world to me, and I am completely fascinated and want to learn more.

While we do have a Fat Tuesday celebration in downtown complete with bustling bars and a parade, I will be celebrating West Coast style. I'll be at an OAR concert with one of my sisters.

It must be so much fun to be a part of New Orleans society. I agree with Valkyrie that it sounds totally intriguing. Here's a question...are Krewe members usually well established NO families (as in being in the area for MANY years) or are "outsiders" (people who have not been in NO forever) ever invited to join?

It totally depends on the Krewe. Rex, Comus, Momus, Twelfth Night Revelers, to name a few, come to you if they want you as a member, and you must be "someone" to be in the Krewe. And only the daughters/sons of a very select group of old-line families become the maids. Usually they do this their debutante season. You see the same names over and over in the paper for the old-line groups. A girl is usually queen of one org, and then a maid to others. The only exception is you cannot be in both Rex and Comus, the two oldest groups. Reason: their balls are both on Mardi Gras night. That does not mean your family can't hold membership in both krewes, it just means that you cannot be a part of both courts. Its a very special tradition to watch the Meeting of the Courts on tv on Mardi Gras night. At about 11:30, Comus and his queen come over to the Rex ball (they're held in the same auditorium) and they parade around. Its absolutely gorgeous - Rex and his queen in gold and Comus and his queen in silver. At the stroke of midnight Mardi Gras is over, and the balls conclude. Thus begins Ash Wednesday in New Orleans, a city with a very large Catholic population.

There are many many other Krewes whose membership is much more open. Bacchus, Endymion, Orpheus are 3 of the "super-krewes" that have a large and diverse membership. Maids do not have to be debs, or even young girls. Sometimes it is the adult women of the club. The super-krewes usually have a celebrity grand marshall.

Thanks for the info :)

Even in other areas some Krewes have a solid closed door policy.
I've seen 95 year old men and women walk into the party (in costume) strut ther stuff(pulling an oxygen tank J/J), and head home. They will DIE with their membership clutched in their hands (or at least until they are certain their offspring has a membership) Many times, the female Krewe is a direct counter part to a male krewe. So unless your husband is in Krewe of Blue blood you will never be in Krewe of Blue blood wives!

There have been a few exceptions though. The women are much more ferocious about getting their daughters in their Krewe than the men are about their sons. Since the sons are the bread winners in most cases, if thier job description isn't up to "snuff" they have a MUCH longer wait to get an invitation, if t all-depends on the parent's clout in the community and within the Krewe itself.

We aren't that expensive in this area, and many costumes are recycled for a very long time. $500/yr is about the highest.
To be on a court can run well in to the10s of thousands. The King and queen have to host parties througout the season AND I think in N.O. the cape/crown alone can run over $20,000.00. Juniorgirl may have better information on this.

Membership is secret until they hoist the flags on their homes. It is not unusual to be in more than 3 in our area. The older you get though, the more apt you are to narrow it down to 2 or 3.

I agree with juniorgrrl and justamom have said. I made my debut with an old exclusive Krewe. The group had a membership cap of 150 and most of the members were pretty up there in age. The only way that a new person could join was if a member died or resigned. While it may sound intriguing and glamorous, which it is, Krewes like this have to be careful because they could exclude themselves right out of existence. That season ran us about $8,000-10,000 and that was 18 years ago. This Krewe highly encouraged each deb to host a party to get to know each other but it wasn't necessary. The parents were all too happy to host a party and darn the expense. Just with this organization, I had to attend 12 deb parties (including my own), the King, Queen and President each had a party, plus the announcement party and the ball itself. Sometimes an aunt or grandmother would host a luncheon as well. My friends were also making their debuts at the same time so of course I had to go their parties too.

The biggest expenses were the party gowns. You couldn't wear the same dress twice because you never knew if your picture was going to be in the paper. It is a big deal to have the society columnist come to your party and write an article. Many of the girls swapped dresses. This helped with expenses but I wasn't as lucky. At a size 1, yes they make clothes that small but the selection is limited, I was the tiniest and my clothes were either made or special ordered.

As far as the Krewe costumes go, it really depends on the Krewe. None of the organizations that I belong to reuses its costumes. The cost of new ones is covered in our dues. Krewe Costume - Krewe of Orpheus www.kreweoforpheus.net
http://www.kreweoforpheus.net/pics/p...agingarea1.jpg

The court costumes are a different matter. Some Krewes have a traditional crown & scepter, collar and mantle/cape that are used every year and belong to the Krewe. The king and queen may get smaller crowns and scepters as keepsakes. This is the approach that Rex uses. www.rexorganization.com

http://www.rexorganization.com/image...ngandqueen.jpg

Other Krewes have their king and queen in a new ensemble every year and the royalty gets to keep it. These can really get up there and $20,000 for a costume is not unheard of. These are from the Krewe of Aquila (www.welcome.to/kreweofaquila) - King, Queen, Pages and Maid & Duke.

King & Queen - For some reason, this image won't show up here.
http://server34.hypermart.net/kreweo...images/K&Q.jpg

Pages
http://server34.hypermart.net/kreweo...ages/pages.jpg

Maid & Duke
http://server34.hypermart.net/kreweo...ages/mulan.jpg


Officers may also have distinctive costumes. Corps de Napoleon - www.napoleonparade.com/aboutofficers.htm
http://www.napoleonparade.com/officers-2000_ball.JPG

update
 

I didn't know who all might still want to follow this but here goes.

Krewe #1 - Parade Jan. 19 - Theme was magical related - Magical Moments (?). The day started off warm (mid to upper 70's), overcast and muggy. We had a Krewe breakfast at a local banquet hall at 8. Family and friends were invited so there were tons of people. The Captain, king and queen made lovely speeches which were met with thundering rounds of applause. However, I don't think that anyone cheered louder than my one-year son before, during and after. Don't worry, he wasn't obnoxious even if he wasn't my child. During breakfast, the sun came out and we thought that it was going to be a beautiful day. I was wearing shorts. There was about an hour before the floats would arrive so we went back home to chill. An hour later, we were going to the line up and it started to sprinkle. A cool front was supposed to come through but the weatherman said that it would hold off until much later. Right. :rolleyes: Anyway, there we are loading the floats in this misty drizzle but it was doable. Ten minutes before we were set to roll the skies opened for this great downpour and just as suddenly it stopped. Thank goodness I was riding on the bottom and I didn't get wet but the people on top were drenched. It's still warm by the way. We start rolling along. The crowds are there but you could tell a lot of people stayed home. I know I would have if I didn't have to be in the parade. Fast-forward about half an hour. The skies open again but this time it brought a serious north wind. Again, I thanked goodness that I was on the bottom. Only my hands were getting wet as I threw my beads, but my joy didn't last long. The temperature kept dropping and dropping. My hands were like two red claws and I could barely break the plastic bags. I just started throwing the bags. There were still people on the street in that nasty weather. We never did stop at the grandstand to toast the mayor et al… so the entire thing lasted about 90 minutes. The temperature had dropped to 40 degrees in less than an hour and you could see your breath when you talked. It was OK. The important thing was that we rolled. We'll just prayer for better weather next year.

Krewe #2 - Ball Jan. 26 - This Krewe only has a ball and the theme was Treasure of the Orient. The auditorium was decorated in a Chinese motif of red, black and gold. There were panels on the wall with each maid's name written in Chinese characters. A large dragon covered the railing of the balcony area. The table decorations were metal Chinese lanterns. Very pretty. I as well as some friends volunteered to be in the tableau - a skit or performance that carries out the theme. We had done it before and had a great time so we immediately volunteered again. Well, I had opened my big mouth to choreograph the tableau in case Plan A fell through. Plan A dropped as soon as she found out that there was a Plan B. It wasn't hard feelings. She just felt overwhelmed by the commitment and was greatly relieved. Lucky me. Our group originally began with 16 members and rapidly dropped to 7 by the end of October. We worked hard on our ribbon dance and it looked great. Well, right after New Year's I was informed that the ribbon dance was too short and we needed to fill more time. Enter the fan dance. OMG. We had picked up another lady which was great but I was still fooling with 3 women in their 70's. It took us months to get the ribbon dance. How on earth were they going to get something new and perfect it in 3 weeks?! (We did have this Chinese lion that came out and performed too. After he did his thing, we lined up behind him to throw our stuff during the promenade. The girls from my neighborhood threw fortune cookies and the rest threw beads.)

Well, suffice it to say that I kept it very, very simple and we pulled it together. Several attendees went to the captain to ask if we were from the local dance studio. I felt great and so proud of my ladies. I know that asking the captain about us may seem crazy since they are members too but we had awesome costumes. We were dressed in jewel colored Chinese satin jackets, black satin pants, black slippers and black pill box hats. Our faces were painted white with pink eye shadow and overarched brows. Our lips were painted kewpie style in a deep red. We also wore black wigs that were cut into a bob. Even our husbands didn't recognize us. Oh the maids. Each one represented some aspect of Asia - jade, orchids, pearls, dragons, etc… The stunner of the evening was the queen. She represented the first and only woman emperor of China. I forgot her name but I remember that she was an empress first and then became the emperor. Her costume was so authentic that it really took your breath away. It was all in red and gold brocade. What I like about Carnival is that you learn a lot of things. A lot of research goes into picking themes and characters. It can be a true history lesson.

Krewe #3 - Open house is this weekend and we get to see the finished floats. The parade is not until Feb. 11. Hubby is riding so I got a new dress! It looks stunning on me if I do say so myself. I had to get it in black because the red is not available until March.
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/imag...ri/V220744.jpg

h2oot-Another Mardi Gras tradition is to get a group and go skiing in Aspen or some place.

This is so true! Many girls who are eligible to be debutantes HERE forego the opportunity. They prefer to take off with their friends. Many families don't like all the "Mardi Gras Madness" and started heir own tradition of leaving town!

I have heard that some of the best Mardi Gras parties are at ski lodges in Co.!

I always thought that was hysterical. They leave to get away from Carnival only to go and recreate it elsewhere.

It is now a mere 48 hours before me, KSigRC, and about 15 other Kappa Sigs from our chapter go down to New Orleans and re-define "ridiculous." For the past week in class, most of my notebooks have "Mardi Gras," "New Orleans," and other Mardi Gras stuff doodled in them. Figured I'd post while I'm still sober/coherent.

Collin

I (and most other native New Orleneans) were extremely offended by this link. It implies we're all: dumb cajuns, sex-crazed, alcoholics, stuipd....so not true.

This man came to our beautiful city and called it a cess pool. Which it is not. I don't suppose he got his LAZY (how he refers to us) ass down to the Garden Distric to jog in Audubon Park, or out to the lakefront to see one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country. He didn't take a drive to see the northshore, and how beautiful it is. He didn't take a visit to Newman, Jesuit or Sacred Heart to see some of the best-educated kids in the city - no, he thinks we all can't do change for a $20.

And the bit about "creole jibberish", well, I can say for sure that I don't speak it, and most people don't. There is a distinctive accent for the 9th ward area, uptown...different areas of the city speak differently. But cajun-country is down the bayou in Thibadeaux and up in Baton Rouge. Not New Orleans.

This just makes me so mad, I hope we never allow this dick to come back to MY city. He's only going to see what The Waterboy and The Big Easy have taught him about us. Its his loss.

I'm going to go ahead and erase the link. I didn't stop to think that others might be offend. Sorry