I never knew what a pervasive celebration Mardi Gras was in this area. Wow!! For three weeks, there are parades (a total of 30 of them!) in downtown Mobile. Yes, I said Mobile, Alabama. Seems that in 1704, Mobile was formally made the capital of the French province of Louisiana. Over the coming years, the residents began to celebrate the Mardi Gras holiday to remember their homeland roots. Then, in 1866, a guy by the name of Joe Cain appears in a parade dressed as the fictional Slacabamorinico, Chief of the Chickasaw, riding a coal wagon through the streets on Shrove Tuesday. From that point on, there has been a Mardi Gras celebration in Mobile. There are more details to the story, but I don't have the time or space to cover it. In short, there are "krewes" (exclusive societies that put on a parade and/or an elegant Ball for the Carnival season). Many of these krewes can trace lineage back to the 1860-70's. The members are assessed fees or dues which help pay for the parade and Ball. The Balls are extravagant affairs with formal evening wear for the ladies and tuxedos and tails for the gentlemen. Sometime during the early 1800's, krewe members from Mobile moved to New Orleans and carried the tradition with them. The celebrations in the two locations today are similar, but not exactly alike. The rules surrounding the Balls and who can participate, who can be elected as royalty (for instance Mobile has a King and Queen, New Orleans only has a King), and the parades (New Orlean's is baudier, Mobile's is generally more family friendly). Now, all that being said, we attended one of the many parades in Mobile. The parades are presented in the order of the establishment of the krewe. Newest krewes go first leading to the oldest one running on the evening of Fat Tuesday. The parades pass in front of the Mobile Carnival museum. This place is a treasure trove of examples of the royal formal wear from over the last 100 years or so. Both King and Queen are selected a year in advance of the celebration. They then determine the theme of their "reign" and all manner of things are made to support their celebrations. The Queen's gown and the King's attire are hand made and support their unique theme. Rules dictate that everything must be hand made, no hot glue or machine stencils here. The trains that the ladies wear are a good 15-20 feet long or more and weigh more than I care to think about. It is a fascinating place to visit and the staff led tours are fantastic.
Nowadays the parade floats are planned using modern engineering tools. Back in the 1860's the floats were designed and illustrated on lithographs. The wooden plates that made the lithograph were then destroyed so the designs could not be copied. Above is an original lithograph from 1861.
One krewe is called the Comic Cowboys (formed in 1884 and still around today). Traditionally, their "Queen" is a guy in drag and rides on their lead float while sitting on her/his "Throne"... a toilet. And her scepter is a gold painted plunger. They make fun of all manner of things and nothing is off limits. A couple of their cleaner jabs are shown above.
The opulence of the balls and dinners are unbelievable. Here was the entire table setting for the King's dinner that was created specifically with his theme. This setting is paid for by the King, was used only once, then they were done.
Here are a couple of mannequins that are wearing the King and Queen's attire from last year's celebration. You can see the intricate detail on the trains and dress. Remember, this is ALL hand stitched! Also, the Ball, both King and Queen attire and dinner are all paid for by the King and Queen. We were told that a minimal train without a lot of intricacy started at $20,000. You can only imagine what the ones that I've pictured cost...
Here is another example of the intricate seamstress work on the gown and train.
This Queen's train was unique. Not just anyone can be the Queen. You have to have direct ties to Mobile society. This particular queen honored several former members of HER family that had served as Mardi Gras royalty. Each of the different crowns has the initials of the past king or queen. There's a lot of history in that lineage.
Not sure it is clear in the photo, but notice the mantle that surround the shoulders and head of the queen. This fancy and delicate structure serves another purpose. It is where the train attaches in the back and serves as a harness of sorts for the Queen to drag this train behind her as she makes her Grand Entrance. One of the trains was so heavy that ball bearings were sewn into the end of the train to allow it to roll more freely along the floor!
An example of a King's outfit, along with his crown and scepter. All of this is hand made by artisans in and around Mobile.
Here is our Mardi Gras haul! This was all from only one minor parade and what we could catch. Some folks at the parade brought big fish nets to catch the goodies and a big sack to put it in. By the end of the parade, they could stock their own float!! All these beads were thrown from the various floats to the spectators that lined the parade route. Most of the beads are plastic but one strand we got was made of glass. That one is heavy and hurts when it hits you unawares! The round things on the right are Moon Pies (chocolate covered marshmallow sandwiches). In the 1940-50's, they used to throw Cracker Jacks, but several folks were injured by the flying boxes. The organizers of the parades put their heads together and looked for something that wouldn't hurt the spectators and they found the Moon Pie in 1952. It is made in Chattanooga, TN and is a southern "delicacy".
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