This document provides an overview of Mardi Gras traditions in New Orleans, including a history of the holiday, descriptions of common foods and celebrations, and details about parades. It discusses how Mardi Gras began in the late 16th century and was officially recognized in 1582. Key events covered include the origins of king cakes, historic Mardi Gras balls like the Rex ball and Endymion Extravaganza, and the beginnings of Mardi Gras parades in the 1830s in New Orleans and surrounding areas. The document serves as a guide to understanding Mardi Gras customs in southern Louisiana.

1. Carnival Time
By Matt Bonura
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2. Navigation
1. History of Mardi Gras 4. Parades
1. Official Holiday 1. History of Parades
2. America 2. Metairie Parades
3. New Orleans 3. New Orleans parades
2. King Cakes 5. References
1. Origin
2. Types of cakes
3. Buying
3. Mardi Gras Balls
1. History
2. Rex Ball
3. Extravaganza
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3. History of Mardi Gras
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4. Official
Holiday
-Officially in 1582
-Private clubs held balls
-Krewes
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5. Mardi Gras in
America
-Iberville and Bienville
Lemoyne
-March 3, 1699
-Mouth of the Mississippi
“Pointe du Mardi Gras”
-1st Mardi Gras
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6. New Orleans
 18th Century New Orleans founded and Carnival began
 Private and public parties
 Official parades began in 1838
 Mardi Gras almost ended in 1857
 Saved by the Krewe of Comus
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7. King Cakes
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8. Origin
• Special cake in honor of
the three king’s
• King Cake Party
• Feast of Epiphany
• The BABY!
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9. Types of King
Cakes
• Original
• a ring of dough with small
amount of decoration
• Today’s King Cakes
• Braided and baked
• Colorful sugar
• Creative cakes in recent
years
• fillings
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10. Where to Purchase
 Randazzos
 Manny Randazzo's King Cakes
 Haydel’s Bakery
 King Cakes
 Gambino’s Bakery
 King Cake packages
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11. Mardi Gras Balls
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12. History of
Mardi Gras
Balls
• 1857 by Comus Krewe at
the Gaiety/Varieties
Theatre
• Consists of royal courts in
lavish costumes
• Most private but very few
sell tickets
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13. Rex Ball
• Mardi gras evening
• Private event
• Held recently at New
Orleans Sheraton Hotel
• Meeting of the two courts
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14. Endymion
Extravaganza
• Held since 1974,moved to
Superdome in 1981
• 2500 members, 15,000
guests in 2012
• Celebrity Grand Marshals
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15. Parades
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16. History of
Parades
1st parade in 1711 in
Mobile, AL
Late 1830s New Orleans held
street processions
1856, Mystic Krewe of Comus
brought dazzling floats to
New Orleans
1870, Twelfth Night Revelers,
first Mardi Gras ‘throws’
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17. Metairie
Parades
• 1st parade in 1958 by
the Krewe of Zeus
• 1st suburban krewe
• 13 parades in 2013
• Zeus, Argus and Elks Jefferson
• Family Gras
• Free concerts, family oriented
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18. New Orleans
Parades
• Muses
• The heel
• Endymion and Bacchus
• Super krewes
• Rex and Zulu
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19. References
 Mardi Gras History
 King Cakes
 History of Mardi Gras Ball’s
 Rex Ball
 Endymion Extravaganza
 History of Parades
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