A Short History of Mardi Gras

A Short History of Mardi Gras

This article relates to Eveningland

Some of the action in Michael Knight's story "Our Lady of the Roses" takes place during Mardi Gras. The protagonist notes that the first celebration was in Mobile and not in New Orleans. That piqued my curiosity and I decided to do some research into this most colorful holiday.

The first thing I found was that, like many of our modern religious traditions, Mardi Gras (which translates to mean "Fat Tuesday") has its origins in paganism, in this case it is linked to spring and fertility. Apparently it was the Roman Catholics who adapted this custom (also known as Carnival, from the Latin carnis, which means flesh/meat and levare which means to leave off) to do something fun - a last fling, if you will - just prior to the 40 days of Lent and its accompanying self-deprivation. Certainly, for even the most pious, just observing the debauchery of Mardi Gras would give you something to repent, but I doubt that was ever the point. But let's get back to the heated debate about which US city held the first Mardi Gras celebrations!

The History Channel notes that the French explorers Iberville and Bienville brought Mardi Gras to the US in 1699 when they landed in the area that is now Louisiana. They "held a small celebration and dubbed the spot Point du Mardi Gras," which turned into a yearly (and increasingly rowdy) tradition until the Spanish came to the area several decades later. This put an immediate stop to this unseemly celebration, and the prohibition continued until Louisiana gained independent statehood status in 1812. Becoming a state didn't create the immediate return of Mardi Gras and its famous parade, which only started back up officially there in 1837.

But not everyone agrees that Iberville and Bienville's little party that grew into this festival should receive the honor of being the first Mardi Gras. The Encyclopedia of Alabama argues that the first "official" Mardi Gras on American soil took place, not in 1699, but in 1703, and not in Louisiana, but rather in Mobile, Alabama. Their argument is that New Orleans was founded after Mobile in 1718. The irrefutable fact is that Mobile was founded in 1700 (by the same French explorer Bienville). It therefore makes sense that New Orleans itself should not lay claim to this honor because it didn't technically exist. So when Mobile notes that their first masked balls took place in 1704, and their elaborate parades became a city tradition in 1711 (both prior to the founding of New Orleans in 1718), they do have a point.

However, over the years, Louisiana seems to have become more vocal than Alabama about this holiday, and it is the only state where Mardi Gras is a legal holiday. Alabama cannot claim the same level of statewide pride in this boisterous tradition, although for residents of the city of Mobile, the first Tuesday of Mardi Gras is an official day off. The main reason for this debate seems to be that, originally, Mobile was the capital of the French territory of Louisiana. In 1718, worries about hurricanes forced the capital to move to New Orleans, taking the celebrations with them. According to USA Today, this move actually killed the Mobile Mardi Gras, which didn't see its return until 1866.

One way or another, the pride that both cities have in this festival is obvious, and no matter which one is right, it does sound like a whole lot of fun!

Madis Gras masks
Mardis Gras in the French Quarter, New Orleans
Mardis Gras in Mobile, AL

Filed under Cultural Curiosities

This "beyond the book article" relates to Eveningland. It originally ran in April 2017 and has been updated for the March 2018 paperback edition. Go to magazine.

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