Paper #5

Kylie Dekin
Adam Weinstein
English 101-099
21 November 2007

How to Survive Mardi Gras

Beads, moon pies, cups galore! Music playing, people dancing, huge floats rolling, and fancy balls! This is a little taste of Mardi Gras; a holiday celebrated in the Gulf parts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. My family and I had to learn the Mardi Gras holiday traditions when we moved to Fairhope, Alabama from Atlanta, Georgia. And trust me there is a lot to learn and may take more than one Mardi Gras season to have the skills of surviving this French holiday right away. You have to learn how to make a king cake, the right trinkets to catch, the bag to use, and the type of clothes to wear. It is a lot to take in but is totally worth it.

You may be wondering what beads and moon pies are. Beads are the plastic beaded necklaces that come in many different colors, sizes, and shapes. People have contests to see how many beads they can catch and wear around their neck. After a week of celebrating, you will have consumed thousands of strands of beaded necklaces that you will not know what to do with. Moon pies are soft chocolate covered graham crackers with a marshmallow center. They come in a banana, vanilla, and orange flavor. The orange is disgusting just keep them on the street. Floats will also throw tons of cups. These are good souvenirs and become a great kitchen accessory. Mardi Gras cups are what my family uses for their fancy glassware.

First, you need to know a little history about Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a Roman Catholic holiday that starts on the night of Epiphany, a feast on January 6, and ends the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, also known as Fat Tuesday. The French brought it to the Gulf Coast of America. Most of the resources say Mardi Gras started in the French influenced town of New Orleans but it really originated in Mobile, Alabama. People, down in this area, fight about where the holiday originated all the time. They have this holiday to celebrate, eat, and drink before Lent, forty days of fasting, started. Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French. The parades start the Wednesday before Ash Wednesday and last until Fat Tuesday (Mardi).

We always started off our Mardi Gras holiday by making a delicious king cake. A king cake is no ordinary cake. It is ring shaped made of crescent rolls and cream cheese. Sometimes people put fruit such as apples, blueberries, and peaches into the cream cheese. It is decorated with green, purple, and yellow sugar, melted cream cheese and beads. Some king cakes are more elaborate than others. The cool thing about king cakes is that there is a little plastic baby in the cake. Whoever gets the slice with the baby in it has to make the next king cake. There is a little history about the king cake also. The cake was made to celebrate the Magi visiting the Christ child on the 12th night of Epiphany (King’s). The baby represents the child of Christ (King’s). It takes a lot of practice to make a good king cake. My first king cake that I attempted to make looked like a big cream cheese blob because I did not roll the crescent rolls just right; but it was still delicious.

Now for the best part of Mardi Gras: the parade. We will be attending the OOMM women’s parade in Fairhope. The first thing is what to wear. I would recommend a comfortable pair of jeans and shirt and a jacket. Do not wear green, yellow, or purple clothes because then you just look like a tourist or as we call them the “Snow Bird”. You want to look like a pro and not an idiot. Do not wear heels, Birkenstocks, or any backless shoe. You will probably be doing some kind of running whether it is running with a float or running after a kid who stole your moon pie. Sometimes it gets so cold that when you catch a huge strand of beads it stings your fingers. For this reason, you may want to bring a pair of gloves. Make sure that your hands and fingers will be able to move easily.

Next on the list is what kind of bag to bring to put all of your catches in. Now, if you are one of those people who just like to stand and watch do not bring a bag. All you have to do is put the beads that you want around your neck and the occasional chocolate moon pie in your pocket and give everything else to the winey kid next to you. If you want to catch just a little bit more than one moon pie and a couple of cups then bring a plastic grocery bag. If you plan to be the aggressive type and try to catch everything you possibly can, which basically means you will knock that poor winey kid down to get a green strand of beads, you should bring a pillow case. I always thought this was the most sufficient. My brother and I thought we were so cool because we had our special Mardi Gras pillowcases. My mom let us decorate a white pillowcase just to use on this holiday. Plus, a pillowcase is not too big and not too little. Some of my friends preferred using big Nike duffle bags. Just do not forget you are going to have to carry your bag the whole time and they will be heavy by the end of the night.

Since were going to the women’s parade you want to stand close to the front. Some of the women can throw but most of them do not. So time wise you probably want to be at the parade forty five minutes to an hour early. I was lucky to live in downtown Fairhope so my family and I could walk to the parades. However, if you are driving parking can be an issue. You defiantly want to give another 30 minutes to find a parking place.

While you are waiting for the parade to start, just stand back and watch the crowd. You have to make sure you hold your spot well because some of those annoying kids and/or the grumpy snowbirds will try to push you out of it. Also, you have think of what you really want to catch, that big item that makes your night. For the girls it is a guarder or a rose. For the guys it is the football or the lacy underwear. And it is a really big deal to catch a big or really any kind of stuff animal. I am not really sure what the big deal is about the stuff animals because they just go in the trash or in a big box in the attic at the end of the week. Just get ready for the jumping, the pulling of hair, and the elbows in the stomach because it can get pretty rough and gruff. I saw an old lady snowbird from Green Bay tackle a five-year-old girl for a hot pink pair of beads. Pretty intense!

You will be amazed as you see these massive elaborate floats ride down the street. Each year there is a different theme and the floats abide by the theme. The women riding the floats wear funky costumes and masks. The big rule is that you cannot take off your mask. They will be fined a great amount of money if they are caught taking off their masks. You will be showered with moon pies, colorful strands of beads, candy, cups, coins, and much more. You will not get much though if you do not holler, dance, jump, or yell because they will only throw a lot if they see a lot of spirit. By the end of the night your pillowcase, grocery bag, or pockets will be filled.

When the parade is over you will walk back to your car or house with barley a voice from all of the hollering. When you get back to the house, dump all of your catches in a big pile on the floor. My brother and I use to do this to see who got the most overall and then would divide it into different categories: who got the most beads, cups, stuff animals, coins, or moon pies. Then when we got bored with that, we would make our moon pie sandwiches. This is a killer treat that you have to make. Take a chocolate moon pie or any flavor that you like the most and put it in a bowl or plate. Stick it in the microwave for about forty five seconds or until warm and gooey. Make sure to take the wrapper off because I almost blew up the microwave. Then put a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream on it and you have one giant ice cream s’more. It is so delicious. Or you can just finish your king cake.

That is how a day of Mardi Gras celebration is done, parade and all. As you can tell, there are a lot of pointers and steps to know to make your day go well. It is such a fun and spirited holiday that you do not want to miss out. I am so glad that I get to experience this French holiday every year. So the next time you are in my area be sure to catch a parade. Just put on your comfortable clothes, grab a bag, hold your spot, and scream, “Throw me a moon pie, moon pie!”


Works Citied
"Mardi Gras History." The History Channel. 20 Nov. 2007 <http://www.history.com/minisites/mardigras/viewPage?pageId=739>.

"King's Cake Recipe." History Channel. 20 Nov. 2007 <http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&content_type_id=741&display_order=3&mini_id=1080>.