146 Fun Facts About Mardi Gras

What does "Mardi Gras" literally translate to in English?

Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," referring to the practice of eating rich, fatty foods before the fasting season begins on Ash Wednesday.

What are the three traditional colors of Mardi Gras?

Purple, green, and gold are the traditional Mardi Gras colors; New Orleans krewes have flown them since the 1870s, and king cakes are iced in the same three shades.

What Christian season does Mardi Gras immediately precede?

Mardi Gras falls the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent — a 40-day period of fasting and penance leading up to Easter.

Which U.S. city is most famous for its Mardi Gras celebrations?

New Orleans is synonymous with Mardi Gras in the United States. Its Carnival season runs from Epiphany to Mardi Gras day itself, with the largest parades rolling in the final five days.

What small plastic figurine is traditionally hidden inside a king cake?

A small plastic baby (representing the baby Jesus) is hidden inside king cake. The person who finds the baby in their slice is traditionally expected to host the next king cake party or buy the next cake.

What items are most commonly thrown from Mardi Gras parade floats to spectators?

Strings of plastic beads are by far the most common Mardi Gras throw; in 2018 New Orleans pulled some 93,000 pounds of discarded beads from storm drains along five blocks of St. Charles Avenue.

What is the name of the famous street in New Orleans known for its Mardi Gras revelry?

Bourbon Street in the French Quarter is the epicenter of Mardi Gras nightlife and celebrations. While parades actually run along other streets like St. Charles Avenue, Bourbon Street is famous for its festive atmosphere.

What snack cake is the signature parade throw of Mobile, Alabama's Mardi Gras?

MoonPies, the marshmallow sandwich cookies baked in Chattanooga, Tennessee, are Mobile's signature throw; the city even lowers a giant electric MoonPie at its New Year's Eve countdown.

In which month does Mardi Gras most often fall?

Mardi Gras falls in February about three years in four. It comes 47 days before Easter, so only a late Easter, on April 17 or after, pushes it into March.

Which Cajun French phrase is the unofficial motto of Mardi Gras?

Laissez les bons temps rouler is a word-for-word translation from English; one historian traces it to Louis Jordan's 1946 record 'Let the Good Times Roll'.

What organization or social club organizes a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans?

Krewes are the private social clubs that stage New Orleans parades; the word is a deliberate antique respelling of 'crew' coined in the 1850s, and each krewe pays for its own floats and throws.

Which krewe, founded in 1872, is credited with choosing the official Mardi Gras colors?

Rex chose purple, green and gold for its debut parade in 1872, asking the public to decorate balconies in the three colours; the symbolic meanings assigned to them came only years later.

What deep-fried pastry covered in powdered sugar is a beloved New Orleans Mardi Gras treat?

Beignets are square French-style doughnuts covered in powdered sugar. Café Du Monde in the French Quarter is the most famous spot for beignets, serving them 24 hours a day, especially popular during Carnival season.

In what century did Mardi Gras celebrations first arrive in what is now the United States?

The 1600s: in 1699 French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville camped near the mouth of the Mississippi on the eve of the holiday and named the spot Pointe du Mardi Gras.

What famous New Orleans avenue is the main route for most Uptown Mardi Gras parades?

St. Charles Avenue is the primary route for Uptown Mardi Gras parades. Floats roll under the famous oak trees along this historic avenue before turning onto Canal Street near the French Quarter.

What do Mardi Gras "doubloons" refer to?

Aluminum coins thrown from the floats, stamped with the krewe's name and theme; collectors trade them for decades.

What must New Orleans float riders wear by city law while parading?

Masks: a New Orleans ordinance requires everyone riding a parade float to be masked, a rule that keeps krewe members anonymous as they throw to the crowd.

Which South American city hosts the world's largest Carnival celebration?

Rio de Janeiro's street parties are the real giants: one bloco drew more than 2 million revellers in 2012.

What musical genre, born in New Orleans, is closely associated with Mardi Gras celebrations?

Jazz, which originated in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is deeply woven into Mardi Gras culture. Brass bands, jazz funerals, and improvisational street performances are hallmarks of the Carnival season.

What does the purple color in Mardi Gras symbolize?

Purple stands for justice, green for faith and gold for power, a symbolism Rex proclaimed in a colour-themed parade years after the colours were first used; some historians think they were originally chosen purely for looks.

What is the name of the first documented Mardi Gras parade organization in New Orleans, founded in 1857?

The Mistick Krewe of Comus, founded in 1857, was the first documented krewe to organize a formal Mardi Gras parade with themed floats and torchlight processions in New Orleans.

Which krewe stages Mardi Gras's largest parade and a Superdome extravaganza?

Founded in 1966, it is one of only three super krewes, the ones with celebrity grand marshals, and its post-parade party fills the Superdome.

Which Southwest Louisiana genre blends Creole, Cajun, blues and R&B?

Zydeco is a music genre that originated in Southwest Louisiana among the Creole community. It features accordion and washboard (frottoir) prominently and is a beloved part of Mardi Gras and Cajun/Creole culture.

Which Italian city's Carnival, famous for its elaborate masks, dates back to the 13th century?

A 1268 Venetian law banning masked revellers from throwing scented eggs is among the earliest records of Venice's Carnival; the masks let nobles and commoners mingle anonymously.

In New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition, what are the Mardi Gras Indians known for?

A suit usually takes six to nine months to plan and sew, and with ostrich-feather headdresses can weigh over 150 pounds. The tradition honours the Native Americans who sheltered enslaved ancestors.

What Cajun tradition has masked horseback riders going door to door in rural Louisiana on Fat Tuesday?

Courir de Mardi Gras, the 'Mardi Gras run', is a rural Cajun tradition in which costumed riders travel farm to farm on Fat Tuesday, chasing live chickens and collecting ingredients for a communal gumbo.

What celebrity actor co-founded the Krewe of Orpheus in 1993?

New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. co-founded the Krewe of Orpheus in 1993. The krewe was notable for being open to both men and women and has featured numerous celebrity monarchs over the years.

What Louisiana stew, made with dark roux, okra and meat or shellfish, is a classic Mardi Gras dish?

Gumbo is one of Louisiana's signature dishes and a Mardi Gras staple. It starts with a dark roux and typically includes okra, the "holy trinity" of onions, celery, and bell pepper, and some combination of sausage, chicken, or shellfish.

Which Caribbean nation's Carnival is built on steelpan, soca and 'mas' costumes?

Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival, the birthplace of steelpan and soca, climaxes on the Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday with masquerade bands, calypso tents and stick-fighting.

What do crowds traditionally shout at float riders in New Orleans, begging for beads and doubloons?

'Throw me something, mister!' is so ingrained it is part of the city's Carnival vocabulary; riders hear it thousands of times along the route.

Which Mardi Gras krewe, co-founded with Danny Kaye's help in 1968, is known for celebrity monarchs?

The Krewe of Bacchus was co-founded in 1968 with the help of entertainer Danny Kaye. It broke tradition by inviting celebrity kings rather than choosing from within. Past kings include Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason and Will Ferrell.

What is a traditional Mardi Gras king cake typically flavored with?

Traditional king cake is a brioche-style cake flavored with cinnamon and topped with icing and colored sugar in purple, green, and gold. Modern variations include cream cheese, praline, and other filled versions.

What was the first U.S. city to celebrate Mardi Gras, predating New Orleans?

Mobile, Alabama claims the title of the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States. French settlers began celebrating there in 1703, predating New Orleans (founded in 1718) by about 15 years.

What kind of musical group leads a New Orleans second line parade?

Brass band: the 'main line' is the club and its band, the 'second line' is everyone dancing along behind, which is where the name comes from.

Before switching to coconuts, what did the Zulu krewe hand out as its signature throw?

That is where the nickname 'Golden Nugget' comes from. A local painter, Lloyd Lucus, is thought to have started decorating coconuts in the early 1920s.

What Louisiana sandwich of fried seafood or roast beef on French bread is a Mardi Gras staple?

The po-boy is a traditional Louisiana sandwich served on crispy French bread. It is typically filled with fried shrimp, oysters, catfish, or roast beef with gravy, and is a ubiquitous street food during Mardi Gras celebrations.

What is the Twelfth Night, and what is its significance to the Mardi Gras season?

Strictly speaking Twelfth Night is January 5, the eve of Epiphany, but New Orleans has used the name for the season's opening day since at least 1900, when the Twelfth Night Revelers stage their ball.

What is the name of the all-female krewe founded in 2000 that is known for throwing hand-decorated shoes?

The Krewe of Muses, founded in 2000, is an all-female krewe famous for its hand-decorated shoes (often high heels), which are among the most coveted Mardi Gras throws. The shoes are elaborately glittered and customized by members.

What do spectators traditionally toss to the flambeaux carriers who light New Orleans night parades?

Coins: flambeaux carriers have lit New Orleans night parades with flaming torches since the 1850s, and spectators traditionally reward their dancing by tossing them quarters and dollar bills.

Blaine Kern's float-building warehouse in New Orleans, open to tourists, goes by what name?

Mardi Gras World is Kern Studios' working warehouse where visitors watch artists sculpt and paint floats for dozens of krewes each year; the attraction moved from Algiers to the riverfront near the convention center in 2009.

What did a 1991 New Orleans ordinance require krewes to do in order to parade on public streets?

A 1991 New Orleans ordinance required krewes using public streets for parades to certify that they did not discriminate by race, religion, gender or other categories; several old-line krewes chose to stop parading rather than sign.

What ceremony closes Carnival when Rex and his queen visit the Comus ball?

The Meeting of the Courts is a secretive and prestigious Mardi Gras tradition where the courts of Rex and Comus come together at the end of Fat Tuesday night. It symbolically marks the end of Carnival and is considered one of the most exclusive events in New Orleans society.

Which description fits jambalaya, a Louisiana staple at Mardi Gras?

Jambalaya is a one-pot rice dish cooked with meat or seafood and the Creole 'holy trinity' of onion, celery and bell pepper; its closest relatives are Spanish paella and West African jollof rice.

What special privilege do Zulu coconuts have under Louisiana state law?

After coconut-injury lawsuits cost Zulu its insurance in 1987, Governor Edwin Edwards signed the 'Coconut Bill' in 1988. The coconuts are now handed to spectators rather than thrown.

What are the invitation-only formal parties called at which Mardi Gras krewes present their kings, queens and debutantes?

Balls, some staged as 'tableaux' with themed performances; the old-line krewes' courts are drawn from the season's debutantes.

Which 2005 hurricane forced New Orleans to scale back its Mardi Gras the following year?

Katrina struck on August 29, 2005 and left the city government close to bankrupt. Krewes insisted on parading anyway, and the 2006 floats mercilessly mocked FEMA, its trailers and the failed levees.

Which German festive season ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday?

Fasching, Karneval or Fastnacht depending on the region, the German season peaks on Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), the day before Shrove Tuesday, when Cologne, Mainz and Düsseldorf hold their giant parades.

What term do Mardi Gras Indians use for donning their suits and taking to the streets?

Masking: Mardi Gras Indians speak of 'masking Indian' when they put on their suits; rival tribes once settled scores with weapons but now, as one Big Chief put it, fight 'with the needle and thread'.

What is Lundi Gras?

'Fat Monday' sees the kings of Rex and Zulu arrive on the Mississippi riverfront. Some of the traditions date to 1874, but the day was barely marked until 1987, when Rex's arrival was folded into a series of river events under the Lundi Gras name.

Which all-female krewe hands out hand-decorated sunglasses as its signature throw?

The Krewe of Iris, founded in 1917 and the oldest women's krewe in New Orleans, throws hand-decorated sunglasses, a nod to Iris, goddess of the rainbow.

In what year did Louisiana make Mardi Gras a legal state holiday?

1875: Governor William Pitt Kellogg signed the Mardi Gras Act making Fat Tuesday a legal holiday in Louisiana, three years after Rex's first parade.

What was the theme of the 1898 Rex parade in the oldest surviving Mardi Gras film?

Harvest Queens was the theme of the 1898 Rex parade; the film, rediscovered in a Dutch archive in 2022, is the oldest known footage of Mardi Gras and was added to the National Film Registry that December.

What event in 1979 led some to remember that year as the city's best Mardi Gras ever?

A police strike: the NOPD walked out during Carnival 1979, most parades were cancelled or moved to the suburbs, and with National Guardsmen ignoring petty offences, locals remember a gloriously lawless French Quarter.

Which two 19th-century krewes stopped parading in protest at the 1991 anti-discrimination ordinance?

Comus and Momus quit parading rather than sign the 1991 non-discrimination certificate, as did Proteus, which alone returned to the streets in 2000.

What was banned in New Orleans parades after two spectators died in 2020?

Tandem floats, several units towed by one tractor, were banned after a woman died at the Nyx parade and a man at Endymion in 2020, each crushed between linked sections.

With parades cancelled for Carnival 2021, what did New Orleans residents decorate as floats instead?

Their houses as floats: a Facebook group called the Krewe of House Floats mapped the participants.

Which group led its 2022 parade with plague-doctor marchers carrying brooms to 'sweep the plague away'?

The city required proof of vaccination or a negative test from parade participants that year.

In what year did Rex declare that purple, green and gold stood for justice, power and faith?

1892: Rex's parade that year, themed 'Symbolism of Colors', assigned justice to purple, faith to green and power to gold, two decades after the colours were first proclaimed.

Which krewe, New Orleans' second-oldest, has staged its ball on Epiphany since 1870?

The Twelfth Night Revelers, founded in 1870, open Carnival each January 6 with a ball at which the golden bean from a king cake, drawn by a debutante, names the queen.

Between which two dates can Mardi Gras Day fall?

February 3 and March 9: Mardi Gras is 47 days before Easter, which itself ranges from March 22 to April 25, so the earliest Fat Tuesday is February 3 and the latest March 9.

At what time does the Zulu parade traditionally roll on Mardi Gras Day?

8:00 a.m.: Zulu traditionally rolls first on Mardi Gras morning from Jackson Avenue and South Claiborne, with Rex following at 10:00 a.m. along St. Charles Avenue.

Which walking club journeys from the Bywater through Marigny to meet Rex on Canal Street?

The Society of Saint Anne, a costumed walking krewe founded in 1969, sets off from the Bywater on Mardi Gras morning, winds through the Marigny and French Quarter, and reaches Canal Street in time for Rex.

Before the 1960s, most Mardi Gras beads were glass and made in which country?

Czechoslovakia: until the 1960s most throws were strings of Czech glass beads from the Bohemian glass region; cheaper plastic beads then arrived from Hong Kong, Taiwan and later China.

Which 2005 David Redmon documentary follows parade beads from the factory workers who make them?

Mardi Gras: Made in China follows plastic beads from a Fuzhou factory, where young workers earned pennies, to Bourbon Street; it premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

Rex royalty is traditionally chosen from which New Orleans gentlemen's organisation, founded in 1841?

The Boston Club, founded in 1841, takes its name from Boston, a whist-like card game fashionable at the time; for decades Rex paused on Canal Street to toast his queen on the club's stand.

What did the first King Zulu wear as a crown in 1909?

A lard can: in 1909 the first King Zulu, William Story, wore a lard-can crown and carried a banana stalk as a sceptre, parodying Rex's pageantry.

Which New Orleans jazz legend reigned as King Zulu in 1949?

Louis Armstrong reigned as King Zulu in 1949, a homecoming that put him on the cover of Time magazine that February.

Which Louisiana governor signed the 1988 'Coconut Bill' letting Zulu resume its coconut throws?

Insurance problems and lawsuits had halted the tradition in 1987.

How does the Zulu krewe choose its king each year?

By an election: Zulu's members vote each year to choose King Zulu, a contested campaign complete with fundraisers and ballots, unlike the old-line krewes whose captains pick a king in secret.

Zulu's painted coconuts were originally bought cheaply from where?

The French Market: early Zulu members, who could not afford glass beads, bought cheap coconuts from vendors at the French Market and handed them out unpainted.

Which visiting royal prompted New Orleans businessmen to organise the first Rex parade in 1872?

The duke's fondness for singer Lydia Thompson made 'If Ever I Cease to Love' Rex's anthem.

What is the official song of the Rex organisation?

It comes from the 1870s musical Bluebeard.

Who was the first Rex, King of Carnival, in 1872?

Louis Solomon (Lewis J. Salomon), a New Orleans financier, reigned as the first Rex in 1872; he was Jewish, an irony given that the old-line krewes later excluded Jewish members for much of the next century.

What is the Rex motto?

Pro Bono Publico, Latin for 'for the public good', has been Rex's motto since the organisation's founding in 1872, and the Rex Foundation gives to local schools under the same name.

What does Rex traditionally do when his parade pauses at Gallier Hall?

Rex's parade pauses at Gallier Hall, the former City Hall on St. Charles Avenue, where the King of Carnival and the mayor exchange champagne toasts from the reviewing stand.

Since 1997, the Rex ball and Meeting of the Courts has been televised by which broadcaster?

Historians Peggy Scott and Errol Laborde have hosted the broadcast.

Which group organises the Rex parade?

The School of Design is the Rex Organization's formal name, dating from its 1872 founding; the Rex den on South Claiborne Avenue, where its floats are built by hand, carries the name.

Which Creole planter funded an official Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans in 1833?

Bernard de Marigny, the Creole planter who founded Mandeville and laid out the Faubourg Marigny, put up money in 1833 for an organised Mardi Gras celebration, the first of its kind in the city.

The Mistick Krewe of Comus took its name from a masque by which poet?

John Milton's 1634 masque Comus, about the god of revelry, supplied the name; the krewe's first parade in 1857 was themed on Milton's Paradise Lost.

What was the public face of the Mistick Krewe of Comus in its early years?

The Pickwick Club, founded in 1857, served as the public front for the secret Mistick Krewe of Comus; for decades the two had overlapping membership and shared premises.

Which old-line krewe, founded in 1882, parades on the Monday evening before Mardi Gras?

Proteus, founded in 1882, rolls on Lundi Gras evening; its floats ride on original wooden chassis from the 1880s, making them the oldest in Carnival.

The Momus krewe was named for the Greek god of what?

Mockery: Momus was the Greek personification of satire and fault-finding, a fitting patron for the krewe whose 1877 parade 'Hades, a Dream of Momus' lampooned the Reconstruction government.

Which council member sponsored the 1991 New Orleans anti-discrimination krewe ordinance?

Comus, Momus and Proteus withdrew from parading rather than comply.

Endymion is named after a figure from which mythology?

Greek: Endymion was the shepherd of Greek myth loved by the moon goddess Selene, who had Zeus grant him eternal sleep and youth.

What is the Krewe of Endymion's motto?

'Throw Until It Hurts' is Endymion's motto; its riders toss millions of beads, cups and doubloons along the krewe's Mid-City route each Carnival.

Which New Orleans Saints owner was Endymion's first grand marshal from outside entertainment, in 2010?

He served six days after the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV.

What is Endymion's pre-parade block party called?

Samedi Gras, 'Fat Saturday', sits between Carrollton and City Park Avenue; Lundi Gras is the Monday.

Which restaurateur founded the Krewe of Bacchus in 1968?

Owen Brennan Jr., of the restaurant family behind Brennan's on Royal Street, founded Bacchus in 1968 with friends who wanted a parade open to visitors, and recruited Danny Kaye as its first celebrity king.

Which of these is a signature Bacchus float?

The Bacchasaurus, a grinning dinosaur, is one of Bacchus's long-running signature floats alongside the Bacchagator, the Bacchawhoppa whale and the King Kong family.

Which NBA legend reigned as Bacchus in 2025?

Earlier monarchs include Bob Hope, William Shatner and Drew Brees.

Who founded the all-female Krewe of Muses in 2000?

Staci Rosenberg, a New Orleans attorney, founded Muses in 2000; the krewe first rolled in 2001 and bills its Thursday-night parade as 'tHERSday'.

How did Muses honour Hurricane Katrina's victims in its 2006 parade?

It evoked the riderless horse of a funeral procession.

What is the name of the Muses' lead float carrying the captain and officers?

The Goddessey leads the Muses parade carrying the captain and officers; its decoration mixes the winged horse Pegasus with symbols of the nine Greek muses, and it is followed by the krewe's giant glittered shoe.

How many riders took part in the first Krewe of Orpheus parade in 1994?

It was a record and instantly made Orpheus a super krewe.

Which mythological figure gives the Krewe of Orpheus its name?

Orpheus, the legendary musician of Greek myth, was the son of the muse Calliope and, by many accounts, Apollo; his lyre-playing charmed even Hades when he descended to recover Eurydice.

What does the Orpheus signature float 'Smokey Mary' resemble?

Harry Connick Jr. released an album called Smokey Mary for the krewe's 20th anniversary.

What is a king cake's hidden trinket traditionally called in French?

Fève, literally 'fava bean', is the French name for the trinket in a galette des rois; a dried bean was the original token before porcelain figurines and plastic babies.

The flaky French galette des rois is traditionally filled with what?

Frangipane, an almond cream, fills the puff-pastry galette des rois eaten in northern France at Epiphany; the gâteau des rois of the south is a crown-shaped brioche instead.

Whoever finds the figurine in Mexico's rosca de reyes must provide what on February 2?

Tamales: whoever finds the baby figure in the rosca de reyes on January 6 must host a tamales feast on February 2, Candlemas, when the Christ child figure is dressed and presented.

In Spain's roscón de reyes tradition, what must the person who finds the bean do?

Pay for the cake: a roscón de reyes hides both a small figurine, whose finder is crowned king for the day, and a dried bean, whose finder must pay for the cake.

Besides Mardi Gras Day, when do Mardi Gras Indian tribes traditionally parade?

St. Joseph's Day, March 19, and the nearest Sunday, called Super Sunday, when the tribes show off their hand-sewn suits.

Which tribe, formed by Becate Batiste in the 1880s, is considered the first Mardi Gras Indian gang?

Creole Wild West, founded in the Seventh Ward by Becate Batiste, of African, French and Choctaw descent, is regarded as the oldest Mardi Gras Indian tribe; its name echoes the Wild West shows that toured New Orleans in the 1880s.

Roughly how long does a Mardi Gras Indian suit take to plan and complete?

Six to nine months: a Big Chief starts sewing a new suit soon after Mardi Gras and works through the year; each suit is worn for one season, then cut up or sold.

In a Mardi Gras Indian tribe, who walks furthest ahead on the street?

The Spy Boy walks far ahead of the tribe watching for rival gangs and signals back to the Flag Boy, who relays word to the Big Chief.

Which Mardi Gras Indian song is thought to blend Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creole and French words?

'Iko Iko' descends from Mardi Gras Indian chants; Sugar Boy Crawford recorded it as 'Jock-A-Mo' in 1953 and the Dixie Cups made it a hit in 1965.

The Cajun Courir de Mardi Gras descends from which medieval French custom?

The fête de la quémande, a medieval begging feast in which disguised revellers went house to house performing for food and drink, is the ancestor folklorists trace the Cajun courir to.

Which documentary by Pat Mire explores the Cajun Courir de Mardi Gras?

Dance for a Chicken: The Cajun Mardi Gras, Pat Mire's 1993 documentary, follows the Courir through prairie towns such as Eunice and Mamou, where riders chase live chickens for the gumbo pot.

The burlap whip used in some Courirs traces back to which region of France?

The Chanson de Mardi Gras tune also has Breton roots.

Who is credited with starting Mobile's Mardi Gras tradition in 1703?

Nicholas Langlois, a French settler, is credited with leading Mobile's first Mardi Gras observance in 1703, when the settlement at Fort Louis was the capital of French Louisiana.

Which Mobile mystic society grew out of Michael Krafft's rowdy 1830 New Year's Eve revel?

The Cowbellion de Rakin Society grew out of Michael Krafft's rowdy New Year's Eve revel of 1830, when he and friends marched with rakes and cowbells; former members later helped found New Orleans' Comus.

Joe Cain revived Mobile's Mardi Gras after the Civil War riding in what?

A decorated charcoal wagon: on Fat Tuesday 1866, with Mobile under Union occupation, Joe Cain and six fellow Confederate veterans paraded through town in a decorated charcoal wagon as the 'Lost Cause Minstrels'.

What fictional Chickasaw chief did Joe Cain dress as?

Slacabamorinico, 'Old Slac', was the invented Chickasaw chief Joe Cain portrayed in 1866; he picked the Chickasaw because they were said never to have been defeated in war, a jab at the occupying Union troops.

Where was Joe Cain reburied in 1966?

Church Street Graveyard, Mobile: in 1966 folklorist Julian 'Judy' Rayford had Cain and his wife moved there from Bayou La Batre, leading a jazz funeral to the new grave.

On which day is Mobile's Joe Cain Day held?

The Sunday before Mardi Gras: Joe Cain Day began in 1967 as a people's parade open to anyone, and the 'Merry Widows' of Joe Cain visit his grave in black veils that morning.

The Order of Myths emblem shows Folly chasing whom around a broken column?

Death: the Order of Myths emblem shows Folly chasing Death around a broken column, and the society, founded in 1867, stages the last parade of Mobile's Fat Tuesday.

What was Mobile's oldest known mystic group, founded in 1711 and dissolved during the Civil War?

The Boeuf Gras Society, founded in 1711, paraded a papier-mâché bull's head on a cart and is counted as Mobile's first mystic society; it dissolved in 1861 as the Civil War began.

In the UK, what is Mardi Gras more usually called?

Pancake Day: Britons call Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day because batter used up the eggs, milk and fat forbidden in Lent; the name Shrove Tuesday comes from 'shrive', to confess.

What are the costumed performers of Belgium's Carnival of Binche called?

The Gilles, some 1,000 costumed men in wax masks and ostrich-feather hats, parade on Shrove Tuesday in Binche throwing blood oranges to the crowd; their suits carry Belgium's red, yellow and black.

Germany's Karneval season traditionally begins at what exact moment?

11 November at 11:11 a.m.: the 'fifth season' opens on the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when Düsseldorf wakes its fool Hoppeditz.

What sweet bun is eaten in Sweden on Fettisdagen?

Semla: the cardamom bun filled with almond paste and whipped cream was once eaten only on Fettisdagen, the Swedish Fat Tuesday; King Adolf Frederick is said to have died in 1771 after a meal ending with semlor.

Which Italian town's Carnival climaxes in a Battle of the Oranges?

Ivrea, in Piedmont, stages the Battle of the Oranges, in which teams on foot pelt masked riders on carts with oranges, re-enacting a medieval revolt against a tyrannical lord.

Which Galveston Mardi Gras society formed in 1871 shares its name with a New Orleans krewe?

The Knights of Momus were founded in Galveston in 1871, a year before New Orleans' own Momus krewe; a revived Knights of Momus leads Galveston's modern Mardi Gras parades.

St. Louis's large Mardi Gras is held in which historic French neighbourhood?

Soulard, a historic red-brick neighbourhood south of downtown St. Louis named for surveyor Antoine Soulard, hosts a Mardi Gras that bills itself as the largest outside New Orleans.

In what year did the Times-Democrat decry the immodesty of female Mardi Gras masqueraders?

1889: the New Orleans Times-Democrat complained of 'the degree of immodesty exhibited by nearly all female masqueraders seen on Canal Street', long before flashing for beads became a French Quarter habit.

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras began as a protest in what year?

1978: the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras was a night-time march on 24 June 1978 in solidarity with Stonewall commemorations; police broke it up and arrested 53 people.

The typical greeting at Cologne's Karneval is what?

'Kölle Alaaf!', roughly 'Cologne above all', is the city's Karneval cry; 'Helau!' belongs to Düsseldorf and Mainz, and 'Narri Narro!' to the Swabian-Alemannic Fasnet.

Cologne's carnival is led by a triumvirate of Prince, Peasant and whom?

Maiden: Cologne's Dreigestirn of Prince, Peasant and Maiden (Prinz, Bauer und Jungfrau) leads the season, and by tradition the Maiden is played by a man.

Which samba school won its record 22nd Rio Carnival championship in 2017?

Portela, the blue-and-white school from Madureira founded in 1923, took its 22nd title in 2017, then the most of any Rio samba school; its symbol is the eagle.

Which architect designed Rio's permanent Sambadrome, commissioned in 1983?

Oscar Niemeyer, the architect of Brasília, designed the Sambódromo on Marquês de Sapucaí; Governor Leonel Brizola commissioned it in 1983 and it was built in about four months for the 1984 Carnival.

Which faster offshoot of calypso became the dominant music of Trinidad's Carnival?

Soca, 'soul of calypso', was coined in the 1970s by Lord Shorty; steelpan and limbo competitions remain key parts of the festival.

The Olney race legend dates to which year, when a housewife ran to church holding her frying pan?

1445: legend says an Olney housewife, hearing the shriving bell while making pancakes, ran to church in her apron still holding the pan; the race was revived in 1948.

Which Cornish town plays 'Hurling the Silver Ball' on Shrove Tuesday?

St Columb Major: the Cornish hurling game, with a silver-coated apple-wood ball, is played through the town's streets on Shrove Tuesday and again on the second Saturday after; most other street games died out after the Highway Act 1835.

The Carnival of Venice was abolished in 1797 and revived in which year?

1979: after the Republic fell in 1797 the Carnival lapsed for nearly two centuries, until the Italian government and Venetian civic groups revived it in 1979 as a tourism showcase.

Legend traces the Venice Carnival to a 1162 victory over which patriarch?

Ulrich II, Patriarch of Aquileia: legend says Venetians celebrated his 1162 defeat by slaughtering a bull and twelve pigs in St Mark's Square, a rite that grew into the Carnival.

Kern Studios, New Orleans' famous float builder, dates back to what year?

1932: Roy Kern, a sign painter, built his first float that year with his young son Blaine helping, and Kern Studios dates its founding from it.

Which parade organisation hired Blaine Kern to build his first floats in 1947?

The Krewe of Alla: its captain, a surgeon who had seen a mural the 20-year-old Kern painted at a hospital, hired him to build Alla's 1947 floats, launching Blaine Kern Artists.

Which teenage vocalist sang lead on the Hawketts' 1954 'Mardi Gras Mambo'?

Art Neville, then 17, sang lead on the Hawketts' 'Mardi Gras Mambo', cut in 1954 at radio station WWEZ; it became a Carnival anthem and later a Neville Brothers staple.

What was Professor Longhair's real name?

Henry Roeland Byrd, born in Bogalusa in 1918, performed as Professor Longhair and first recorded 'Mardi Gras in New Orleans' in 1949 with his Shuffling Hungarians.

Which clarinettist founded and led the Half Fast Walking Club on Mardi Gras morning?

Pete Fountain, the New Orleans clarinettist who spent two years with Lawrence Welk's orchestra, founded the Half-Fast Walking Club in 1961 and led its Mardi Gras morning march for more than half a century.

Which satirical walking parade was established in 1987 to replace the flopped Clones parade?

Krewe du Vieux, formed in 1987 after the Contemporary Arts Center's Krewe of Clones parade collapsed, marches through the Marigny and French Quarter with mule-drawn floats, brass bands and deliberately obscene satire.

The Krewe of Tucks began in 1969 with students from which university?

Loyola: two Loyola University students founded Tucks in 1969 after a night at Friar Tuck's, an Uptown bar whose name the krewe borrowed for its irreverent parade.

What is the King's throne float of the Krewe of Tucks?

A giant toilet: the Tucks king rides on a huge commode float, and the krewe's throws include decorated toilet brushes, plungers and rolls of toilet paper.

Le Krewe d'Etat, the satirical New Orleans parade, is led not by a king but by a secret figure with what title?

The Dictator, whose identity is kept secret; the krewe was also the first to throw blinking beads.

Which krewe, founded in 1937, opens the Friday-night parades before Mardi Gras?

Hermes, founded in 1937 by business leaders to boost Depression-era tourism, rolls first on the Friday night before Mardi Gras, lit by flambeaux, ahead of Le Krewe d'Etat and Morpheus.

How did H. Alvin Sharpe prove in 1959 that his aluminium doubloons were safe to throw?

He threw them in the captain's face: in 1959 Sharpe flung a handful of his lightweight aluminium doubloons at the Rex captain to show they could not hurt anyone, and Rex threw the first in 1960.

The 1898 Rex parade film rediscovered in 2022 was shot by which early motion-picture company?

American Mutoscope (later Biograph) shot the two-minute film of the 1898 Rex parade, showing six floats, one carrying a live ox; it entered the National Film Registry in December 2022.