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 HISTORY
OF CARNIVAL
1699
A French nobleman and his crew of explorers conducts the first recorded Mardi
Gras celebration on a small island in the Mississippi River just downstream from
the site of modern New Orleans. He then continued upriver to found the site of
the future city.
1700s
New Orleans, under French rule, starts celebrating pre-Lenten balls.
Late 1700s
Spain takes over and bans the balls. What do you expect from a country that
started the Inquisition?
1803
United States assumes ownership of New Orleans as part of the Louisiana
Purchase. The ban continues.
1823
Creoles finally get Americans to reinstate balls. 1827 Masking on the street
becomes legal.
1837
A group of costumed revelers walk the street in the first documented
"parade."
1857
The Mystic Krewe of Comus is formed by six upscale Orleanians. It's still a
haven for local bluebloods, but had a lot to do with shaping Mardi Gras: The
group coined the term "krewe" for its secret organization, presented a
themed parade with floats and costumed riders and staged a tableau ball.
1872
The Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff decides to come to the Mardi Gras, and a
civic-minded group forms a krewe they call Rex at least partially in his honor.
Soon, Rex becomes king of Carnival, and an international symbol of the holiday.
Rex, too, shaped a lot of traditions, like organizing the first daytime parade
and deciding that Carnival colors would be purple, green and gold.
1890
The first Carnival marching club, the Jefferson City Buzzards, is formed.
1895
The first black Mardi Gras organization, the Original Illinois Club, is formed.
It's still going strong.
1897
The first female Mardi Gras organization, Les Mysterieuses, is formed. It's long
gone.
1916
Zulu, which has been poking informal fun at Rex for almost a decade, is
officially incorporated. The first king rules with a banana stalk scepter and a
lard can crown. Rex arrives at the city via steamboat, Zulu via oyster lugger.
1934
Alla becomes the first group to parade on the West Bank.
1941
The Krewe of Venus becomes the first parade to have all-female riders. Crowds
hurl refuse at the maskers on board.
1942-45
Carnival canceled during World War II
1949
Louis Armstrong rides as king of Zulu.
1950
Real royalty - the Duke and Duchess of Windsor - bow to mock royalty - the king
and queen of Comus - at the Comus ball.
1969
The upstart new Krewe of Bacchus changes Carnival by naming a Hollywood
celebrity - Danny Kaye - its king and launching its parade with the biggest
floats ever to hit the streets. It proved instantly popular, and was copied by
other new krewes.
1987
Rex resurrects the idea of Lundi Gras, an official arrival to the city on
"Fat Monday," the day before Fat Tuesday, which the krewe had observed
from 1874 to 1917.
1992
New Orleans enacts a city ordinance requiring all parading krewes to open their
private membership. Comus, Momus and Proteus protest by canceling their parades
(forever). Rex opens membership to blacks, as many other krewes already had
done.
1994
Native son Harry Connick Jr. helps create Carnival's latest show-stopping
organization, the Krewe of Orpheus.
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