The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-05-03
A Letter From a Bloomsbury
Lady Residing in the South
-Mardi Cras the Event
of New Orleans.
A Visit to New Orleans Not
Complete Until You Have
Seen it During the
Carnival Season.

lust as the Columbia County Fair
marks an epoch in the history of
Bloomsbury, SO is Mardl Gras the
event of New Orleans. 1t is true that
a visitor to the south has not com.
pleted his visit until he has seen New
Orleans during the Carnival season.
Mardl Gras is the French express
sion for "Fat Tuesday" and always
occurs the Tuesday before the begin.
ming of Lent. 1t corresponds, in date
with the Eastern "Pancake Day"
This is the close of the winter festivi-
ties and special effort is made to
have the grand finale.
In former years the young people
would mask, dress in fantastic cos
tunes and go around the streets
throwing flour, playing jokes OF varl-
GUS kinds and disturbing things gen
orally. Because OF some damages
and trouble which followed the cele-
bration of the day, the citizens New
Orleans decided that it would be best
to have some system about it, conse-
quently about 1873 an organization
was formed OF the business men. A
king or Rex was appointed to preside
over the festivities and a parade and
ball were planned. On the Monday
before Mardi Gras the king goes out
of the city to the mouth of the river,
where he is met by yacht which
brings him to the city wharf. There
is deep mystery about it all. The
children suppose that like Santa Claus,
Rex comes from far off, and to carry
out the delusion a wagon full of trunks
follows him when he enters the city.
He, with all his followers, is masked.
He is met at the wharf by the differ
ent military organizations of the city,
bands and many prominent citizens,
who escort him to the City Hall where
the mayor gives him the keys and the
full charge OF the city. From that
time until the ending of the next day,
New Orleans entirely surrenders her
self to pleasure.
On the morning of Mardi Gras,
Rex has grand procession consist.
ing of about twenty large floats In
front comes the Boeuf Gras or fat
beef sign of feasting. Following this
Is Rex float, on which is seated Rex,
handsomely attlred in royal robes.
The subject car follows Rex. Each
year some subject is taken such as
"Tales of Childhood" "King Arthur's
Court" "The Golden Age" or Human
Passions" Illustrations of the sub
ject come next in order. For ex-
ample, the subject of Rex parade this
year was Terpsichore, or the muse OF
the dance. The floats represented
the Maypole Dance, in which gally
dressed figures danced around tall
nbbon bedecked pole. Dance of the
Snowhakes, where snow covered fig
ures danced through snowy forest;
Dance of the mosquitoes-which ap-
pealed to southern heart, for the
Kingdom of those musical insects is
certainly along the banks of the Miss
lsslppl; the Minuet; Bacchanalian
Dance, etc. The figures on the floats
are usually masked members of the
organization. AS they pass they throw
favors" of candy, paper ribbon etc,
and to some special favorite they may
throw large boquet, but unless the
young lady is well skilled in the art o
guessing she may never know the
donor AT night Rex gives grand
Dali, where he is joined by his queen
some society belle.
Since the organization of Rex, vari
Gus others have been formed. Their,
are now five organizations which par
ade-Rex, Proteus, Comus, Neru'
and Momus. These parades extend
over period of five or six days, ,knowr
as "The Carnival" The cost of
parade and ball are about twenty o
thirty thousand dollars.
10 person entering New Orlean
on Mardl Gras the sight is bewilder
ing. All the buildings are festoonec
with the Rex colors green, orang
and purple, and from the Goa. of ever
one tlutters bow of the same colors
masked boys in brilliantly colore'
costumes are seen here and ther
through the crowd, and that crowd
Every spot on the pavement is file
ana even out in the street, althoug