Mardi Gras Madness!

(image from www.chickswithtape.com)

It's time again to Laissez Les Bons Temps Roulez (Let the Good Times Roll!) Everywhere one looks, Christmas wreaths, garlands and banners have been replaced with ones featuring the traditional purple/green/gold with beads and feathers, masks and baubles - the more the better! During this time of indulgence the King Cakes start flying off the shelves - my personal favorite is the local Extreme King Cake done by Tubbs Hardware and Gifts in Bossier City. Large and packed with yummy filling, they come in a variety of flavors and ship world-wide!

Historically, Mardi Gras meant New Orleans. But for many years Mardi Gras has been celebrated in other areas, including a huge "to do" right here in north Louisiana! For Catholics, the Mass of the Epiphany and for Catholics and Protestants alike, the Twelfth Night bal on January 3rd opened the 2009 season in the Shreveport/Bossier City area. This weekend and the coming week will be filled with elaborate bals as the numerous krewes present their royalty. The decor for these fetes is astounding and the costumes of the court members are breath-taking! Each krewe has their own theme and though the current economic crunch has forced some cut backs krewe members have been saving and working for months to make their bal a success. There is no such thing as "over the top" as each group tries to out-do the others! The traditional colors of purple, green, and gold (symbolizing justice, faith, and power) are predominant but mingled with plenty of sparkling silver, crystal, and a rainbow of bright hues. The King and Queen of each krewe reign over the night. Some of the collars standing high behind the wearer's head weigh so much that special harnesses have to be made and his/her royal highness must practice walking in their heavy gilt-laden costume so they'll be able to glide regally without collapsing under the weight! The crowns are dazzling be-jeweled things, dripping with crystals (or even diamonds!) The krewe's chosen party venue is transformed for the evening into a fairytale wonderland. Truly a sight to behold.

Once the bals conclude the excitement just continues to build as the krewes prepare for the parades! Our Mardi Gras festivities have grown to ALMOST rival the historic ones in New Orleans. Every year, thousands of people come to "the Ark-La-Tex" to enjoy the parades, and the count seems to go up with each one. Traffic is re-routed on parade days and onlookers begin lining up and staking their places days ahead. Certain areas are designated for those who come in motor homes, or who wish to set up tents, and some of the spots become virtual outdoor cafes as the revelers set up picnic tables, grills, cajun cookers, and string party lights around the perimeter of their area. Music flows, but an over-abundance of alcohol doesn't - because the wonderful thing about Shreveport Mardi Gras is the great measures that are taken to assure that ours is a FAMILY-oriented event. Untold amounts of beads and "throws" sail from the floats as the people along the route shout "Throw me somethin' Mister!" but, unlike New Orleans, lifting of shirts to vie for beads is NOT allowed! Any parade-goers who overstep that rule are immediately arrested - no excuses. No alcohol is allowed along the parade route. Revelers who are inebriated, obnoxiously rowdy or profane, or who are generally causing problems are removed by police escort. In the years since Shreveport began holding Mardi Gras that has continued to be an important factor. Law enforcement and other parade-goers work to be sure nothing spoils our beloved parades. The rights of children are revered, as parents try to make room for them to catch throws, lifting tots on shoulders to have a safer, clearer view and a fair chance to catch their share of beads and other treats. There are always people who try to break the rules, but with a zero tolerance attitude surrounding them, they are quickly quashed.

Some of us have attended our share of the parades over the years, our children are grown, and we have a permanent stash of beads that will last a lifetime (!) so we prefer to watch the colorful spectacle and hear the jazzy music from the warmth and comfort of our living room via the excellent television coverage. But for others the trek to the parade route is still key - just to experience the thrill of jostling shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands of other parade-goers, all dressed in Mardi Gras best. To see the huge elaborate floats up close, to feel the pulsating music instead of just hearing it, and to finally come home laden with dozens and dozens of beads and doubloons and the throws that are unique with each krewe's float - that's plenty of reason to brave the crowds and the cold to Let The Good Times Roll!


As it does every year, the 2009 Mardi Gras season will come to a quiet and more reverent close at the end of Fat Tuesday (this year on Feb. 24th) which is the final day of reveling before Lent begins with the dawning of Ash Wednesday. In Shreveport that is traditionally observed with a special ceremony on the Texas Street Bridge. After the final parade, one float from each of the three largest krewes takes a place on the bridge. Area captains take turns toasting and a final toast is given by a chosen krewe's king, queen and captain. At midnight, the weary and repentant revelers take part in a brief Lenten ash service, with ashes dispensed to all by a local Catholic and Protestant clergy. Together they join in prayer for God's grace and purification during the days ahead as they look forward to the miracle of Easter.

Merciful God,
you called us forth from the dust of the earth;
you claimed us for Christ in the waters of baptism.
Look upon us as we enter these Forty Days
bearing the mark of ashes,
and bless our journey through the desert of Lent
to the font of rebirth.
May our fasting be hunger for justice;
our alms, a making of peace;
our prayer, the chant of humble and grateful hearts.
All that we do and pray is in the name of Jesus,
for in his cross you proclaim your love
for ever and ever. Amen.



More information about Mardi Gras in general can be found at this site - http://www.novareinna.com/festive/mardi.html

For up-to-the-minute coverage of the Ark-La-Tex Mardi Gras plus terminology explanations, etc. check out these sites:

http://www.ktbs.com/ArkLaTex-Mardi-Gras/

http://www.kreweofcentaur.org/paradeinfo/index.cgi?sid=63b7a2225a4d48ca188d5378421def77