11 Fascinating Mardi Gras Traditions

Krewes are the social clubs that stage the annual parades, and member's faces are often obscured by masks, face paint, or bandannas in the procession. New Orleans' first Mardi Gras parade was thrown by the Krewe of Comus in 1857, starting a tradition that replaced the scattershot, unofficial Fat Tuesday celebrations in the years before it. Since then, dozens upon dozens of krewes have formed, each with its own unique history, customs, cultural affiliations, and parade themes.

Well, parades for weeks, actually. New Orleans' Mardi Gras very first parade took inspiration from the flamboyant pre-Lent Carnival festivals of Europe, where people have been donning wild masks and costumes to carouse in the streets for centuries. Each New Orleans parade has its own unique local flavor depending on the krewe heading it up; in 2020, thirteen parades occurred on the weekend of February 15th alone.

You'll see the French Quarter festooned with these official colors of Mardi Gras every year. Originally the hues of the Krewe of Rex (aka the Rex Organization, aka the School of Design), a New Orleans krewe founded in 1872, they've since become the palette of Carnival citywide. Each color is recognized to have its own meaning: Purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.

From eye-obscuring tie-ons to full-face numbers that resemble a jester's getup, this is one of the traditions partly inspired by the customs of the Carnival of Venice. In the early days of the festival, male aristocratic krewe members and other celebrants wore the masks to protect their reputations amid the debauchery (the less fortunate, and women, were reportedly judged for wearing them). Mask use is even regulated by Louisiana law: It's actually illegal to wear them, and one of the few exceptions is for Mardi Gras.

Throws are the baubles that krewes toss to the crowd from their parade floats (and in more recent years, that those partying on the French Quarter balconies gift to passersby). They include doubloons, the collectible coins krewes give out, and those infamous plastic beads. According to Time, these traditions likely began in the late 1800s, when carnival kings would gift their "subjects" with the trinkets.

New Orleans city workers unclogged 93,000 pounds worth of beads from city drains in 2018. Far more coveted as a souvenir (and more sustainable?): The painted coconut throws from the Krewe of Zulu. Making their parade debut in the early 1900s, the group has a rich—if disputed—history, and once boasted Louis Armstrong as their krewe king in 1949. The coconut collectibles and dazzling floats make their Fat Tuesday parade a can't-miss.

Whether you keep them as souvenirs or recycle them, it's a big part of the fun. And don't worry, you absolutely do NOT have to flash anyone to secure your souvenir trinkets (it's not a coconuts-for-coconuts situation). In fact, locals will tell you that only French Quarter tourists flash, not the natives, so they wouldn't call that particular practice a tradition.

The king cake is a circular carbs-laden treat with a surprise inside. Yet another tradition harkening back to Europe, other countries enjoy their own versions of it (such as Mexico's rosca de reyes, England's twelfth night cake, or the galette des rois in France). Carnival season is king cake season; enjoy it from January 6—for the Feast of the Three Kings—right up to Fat Tuesday. Its purple, gold, and green icing channels the spirit of Mardi Gras, and if you're lucky you'll get the slice containing the baby that's hidden inside. Chew carefully!

The story of how flambeaux walkers came to carry the torch is a lesson in Black New Orleans history. Flambeaux—a name derived from flambe, the French word for "flame"—have existed since that first Fat Tuesday parade in 1857. Originally, flambeaux were carried by slaves and free Creole men of color, twirling them with flair for tip money while lighting the parade path for onlookers and the well-heeled white members of the Krewe of Comus. Even in the era of street lamps you'll still spot flambeaux in several parades each year.

These "tribal" parades, featuring painstakingly-detailed headdresses, are another product of the cultural jambalaya that is New Orleans's history. Just as many krewes were formed in response to exclusion from those that came before, tribes Black American "Indians" arose from communities' need for a Mardi Gras tradition of their own. The homage stems from the days of slavery, when indigenous North Americans in the area would give shelter to runaway slaves.

Mardi Gras is rife with royal court parodies; there are kings, queens, and jesters around every parade corner. But only one reigns as official king of Carnival: Rex, who sits on his throne in the Rex Organization's parade of eye-popping floats on Mardi Gras Day. The annually-selected monarch receives a symbolic golden key to the city, and he in turn decrees that it's time for the city to shut down and celebrate.