|
Mardi Gras Terms
|
|
Ball
|
(bal masque, tableau ball) a masked ball in which scenes representing a specific
theme are enacted for the entertainment of the club members and their guests; krewe
"royalty" is traditionally presented during the ball.
|
|
Captain
|
the absolute leader of each Carnival organization.
|
|
Carnival
|
from the Latin carnivale, loosely translated as "farewell to flesh"; the season
of merriment in New Orleans which begins annually on Jan. 6, the Twelfth Night (the
feast of the Epiphany), and ends at midnight on Fat Tuesday; the Carnival season
leads up to the penitential season of Lent in which fasting replaces feasting.
|
|
Court
|
the King, Queen, Maids, Ladies in Waiting, Pages and Dukes of a Carnival organization.
|
|
Officers
|
the governing board of directors of a Carnival orgainization.
|
|
Lieutenants
|
the individuals in chage of each float or group of Krewe members.
|
|
Den
|
a large warehouse where floats are built and stored.
|
|
Doubloons
|
aluminum coin-like objects bearing the krewe's insignia on one side and the parade's
theme on the reverse; first introduced by Rex in 1960 and created by New Orleans
artist H. Alvin Sharpe; doubloons are also minted and sold in .999 silver, bronze
and cloisonne.
|
|
Favor
|
a souvenir, given by krewe members to friends attending the ball, normally bearing
the organization's insignia, name and year of issue.
|
|
Flambeaux
|
(plural) Naphtha-fueled torches, traditionally carried by white-robed black men;
in the past century, flambeaux provided the only source of nighttime parade illumination.
|
|
King Cake
|
an oval, sugared pastry that contains a plastic doll hidden inside; the person who
finds the doll is crowned "king" and buys the next cake or throws the next party;
the king cake season opens on King's Day, Jan.6, the feast of the Epiphany. More
than 750,000 king cakes are annually consumed in the metro New Orleans area during
the Carnival season.
|
|
Krewe
|
the generic term for all Carnival organizations in New Orleans, first used by the
Mistick Krewe of Comus, which coined the word in 1857 to give its club's name an
Old English flavor.
|
|
Lundi Gras
|
French for Fat Monday. From 1874 to 1917, the day before Mardi Gras was celebrated
by the arrival of Rex aboard a steamboat. The custom was revived in 1987, and Lundi
Gras now includes Carnival activities staged by Zulu and Rex.
|
|
Maskers
|
Float riders & anyone dressed in costume
|
|
Mardi Gras
|
French for Fat Tuesday, the single-day culmination of the Carnival season.
|
|
Throws
|
prized, yet inexpensive trinkets tossed from floats by costumed and masked krewe
members; among the more popular items are krewe-emblemed aluminum doubloons, plastic
cups, white pearl necklaces. Throws are tossed in response to the cry, "Throw me
something, mister!"
|
"If Ever I Cease
to Love"
|
The official song of Carnival, even though most people never hear it sung. The song
became the Mardi Gras theme in 1872, when the Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovich Romanov
of Prussia was visiting New Orleans. Alexis had heard "If Ever I Cease to Love"
sung by Lydia Thompson at a New York burlesque show titled "Bluebeard." Not initially
planning on coming to New Orleans during his U.S. tour, he changed his mind when
he heard that Thompson was touring here. A group of New Orleans businessmen formed
Rex when word came that the Duke was going to grace the Crescent City with his presence.
On Mardi Gras morning, while the Duke watched the parade pass, every marching band
played his favorite tune and it became the Mardi Gras song.
|
|
Parades
|
In Louisiana, Carnival parades almost always have decorated floats, marching bands
and krewe members throwing beads, doubloons and other trinkets.
|
|
Walking Clubs
|
Clubs whose members walk through the streets instead of riding on floats. The most
famous of these is Pete Fountain's Half Fast Walking Club, which marches on Mardi
Gras and gives beads for kisses. Other clubs include the Krewe of Elvis which marches
through the French Quarter on Mardi Gras morning.
|
|
N'Awlins
|
The correct pronunciation of our city is..uh...well, sort of, umm...N'Awlins. N'yawlyuns.
Well, okay. It's pretty unprintable. But what it isn't is Noo Orleens. However...
now pay attention because this is tricky... you'll also be recognized as a non-Orleanian
if you don't say Orleens when referring to Orleans Parish or Orleans Street. It
is Orleens Parish and Orleens Street.
|
|
Where is Dat?
|
If you're alert, determined, and here long enough, you might be able to figure out
which way is north, south, east or west. New Orleanians don't use such mundane directions,
because the serpentine Mississippi River, which carved out the croissant-shaped
land mass upon which the Crescent City sits, renders them virtually useless. Instead,
we let our waterways call the shots: Downriver (or downtown); upriver (or uptown);
lakeside (toward Lake Pontchartrain); and riverside (toward Old Man River). Absolutely
no one here would propose meeting on a southwest or northeast corner of anything,
because there's really no such place. It takes a bit of practice, but you'll eventually
grow accustomed to corners we call "downtown lakeside", "uptown riverside," and
so on. Good luck!
|
Banquett
(ban' ket)
|
Sidewalk--French meaning a small bank along the road
|
|
Crescent City
|
A nickname for New Orleans, originating from the shape of the Mississippi River
as it bends around the city.
|
|
Fat City
|
A region of Metairie (see below) that is a popular place to party during Mardi Gras,
originating from the term Fat Tuesday, the literal translation of Mardi Gras
|
|
"Fixin to"
|
About to
|
Gris gris
(gree gree)
|
Voo Doo good luck charm (If the Saints tried it, we know it doesn't work!)
|
|
Lagniappe (lan' yap)
|
Something extra that you didn't pay for--thrown in to sweeten the deal--like a baker's
dozen
|
|
Neutral Ground
|
Median or grassy area between the paved areas on a boulevard
|