Mardispeak

Who is The Lord of Misrule? What does the word "krewe" have to do with the poetry of John Milton? And why are go-cups popular throws? Carnivaldom is a realm with its own peculiar lexicon.   If these questions seem puzzling, maybe it's time to bone-up on some Mardispeak.

Ball: French and Spanish colonizers of New Orleans, who were devotees of music, dance and theatrical amusements, reveled at fancy-dress and masquerade balls in the 1700s. As the Carnival season of merriment became more established, organizers staged balls catering to various strata of society; some, collectively known as the "French Balls," were racy affairs frequented by, among others, denizens of the city's red- light district. Following a precedent set by The Mistick Krewe of Comus in 1857, elite Carnival organizations staged parades that ended in theaters and ballrooms, where krewe members would present a series of tableaux based on the theme of their parades. Krewe tableau balls, including those staged by non-parading organizations, came to be known as "Carnival Balls," at which debutante queens and maids, along with other krewe "royalty," were presented. Special female guests were seated in the "call-out" section just off the dance floor; krewe members handed dance cards to ball committeemen, who would call out the names of the designated ladies and escort them to their partners. The last call-out was followed by general dancing in which invited guests could partake. Some Carnival organizations still adhere to these traditional rituals, or a close approximation of them, while others retain key elements in a less formal guise.

Boeuf Gras: French for fatted bull or ox. Historically, the ritual slaughter of the boeuf gras symbolized the feasting that occurred prior to the Lenten season of atonement and abstinence. A papier-mache representation of this Carnival icon is a permanent fixture of the Rex parade.

Captain: Kings and queens of Carnival krewes perform mainly ceremonial functions; the captain is the real power behind the throne.

Call-out: An invitation extended to those who are requested to participate in the first round of dances at a Carnival Ball. These special guests remain seated--in an area just off the dance floor known as the call-out section--until they are "called out" to dance with a masked member of the krewe sponsoring the ball. The practice was initiated by Krewe of Proteus in 1893. The term "call-out" is also sometimes used to refer to the holder of such an invitation.

Carnival: In its earliest usage in medieval Europe, the Latin word carnelevare, from which "carnival" is derived (literally meaning "to lift up" or relieve from "flesh" or "meat"), may have referred to the beginning of the Lenten season of atonement and abstinence rather than the festive holiday customs that preceded Lent. In any case, over time it became established as the season of merriment that begins on the feast of the Epiphany (January 6)--also known as Kings' Day or Twelfth Night (it's the twelfth day of Christmas, the day the gift-bearing Magi visited the Christ child)--and ends on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).

Court: The make-believe royalty of a Carnival organization. In accordance with traditions established in the latter half of the 19th century--when members of elite krewes began to act out their aristocratic fantasies by carrying on in the style of the royal courts and palaces of Old Europe--a Carnival court's queen and her attending maids are debutantes. Their fathers are members of the krewe sponsoring their "coming out" to society--typically via a tableau ball where the presentation of the court provides the central image. The queen's mock spouse is traditionally an older krewe member who has achieved prominence in professional or civic life; his identity is usually not officially revealed. Dukes are customarily eligible bachelors who serve as escorts to the maids.

Den: A warehouse-like building where a Carnival krewe's accoutrements--mainly parade floats but also sometimes costumes as well as scenery and props for balls--are fabricated and/or stored. Also a venue for krewe functions (e.g., a "den party").

Doubloons: Coin-like objects, first introduced in Rex's 1960 parade, that are tossed from floats by maskers. Usually made of aluminum, they typically bear a krewe's emblemon one side and the theme of its parade on the other.

Extravaganza: A razzle-dazzle party at a large venue, typically the Convention Center or Superdome, where thousands of attendees raise a ruckus. Unlike the decorous balls thrown by high-society krewes, these events, though requiring formal attire, feature nationally known musical acts and often draw celebrity guests. Setting the standard, The Orpheuscapade, Endymion Extravaganza and Bacchus Rendezvous are the ultimate destinations for their sponsoring organizations' parades, which literally roll in from the street as float riders bombard the assembled guests with beads and other trinkets.

Favor: A souvenir presented by maskers to partners called out.

Flambeaux (plural): Originally used to light evening parades, these fuel-burning torches are customarily (but not always) carried by white-robed black men who balance the flambeau poles in pouches slung around their waists. It has become a tradition for parade watchers to toss coins to the carriers as they dance and spin the flambeaux.

Go-cup: Imbibing alcohol in the streets is legal in the Big Easy--so long as you've got a plastic cup. Just ask any bartender for a "go-cup."

Grand March: Traditionally at Carnival Balls, after the final tableau is presented and krewe royalty are assembled on the throne, the king and queen march around the floor followed by their retinue. This ritual is epitomized shortly before the stroke of midnight on Mardi Gras, when Rex and his entourage arrive at the Comus ball at the Municipal Auditorium for the traditional Meeting of the Courts. In a blaze of television lights and glittering scepters and tiaras, Rex and Comus escort each other's queens in a grand march, after which Rex waves his scepter to signal the "official" end of Carnival.

King Cake: In New Orleans, this coffee cake-type pastry, topped with Mardi Gras-colored (purple, green and gold/yellow) sugar, traditionally appears on January 6--known as the feast of the Epiphany, Kings' Day or Twelfth Night--and disappears with the end of Carnival. Popular custom holds that the finder of the plastic baby (it used to be a bean) hidden in the cake must purchase the next cake and throw a party. more

Krewe: The generic term for a Carnival organization. Dates back to the founding of The Mistick Krewe of Comus in 1857. In ancient mythology, Comus is the son of necromancer Circe and reveler Bacchus. But the Comus krewemen drew their inspiration from the poetry of English Puritan John Milton. In his list of "persons" at the front of A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, written in 1634, Milton refers to "Comus and his crew." In adopting the whimsical variation of "crew" and archaic spelling of "mystic," the founders of Comus, most of whom were of Anglo-Saxon descent, supposedly intended to give their Carnival endeavor an Old English flavor.

The Lord of Misrule: The title bestowed upon the king of the Twelfth Night Revelers at their debut in1870. In olden times, notes James Gill in his book Lords of Misrule: Mardi Gras and the Politics of Race in New Orleans (University Press of Mississippi), the name was given to "the humorous fellow who organized revels from Christmas to Twelfth Night in the great houses of Europe." In New Orleans, the Revelers--one of the most elite non-parading Carnival organizations--have been known to issue invitations to their opulent Twelfth Night Ball in the name of The Lord of Misrule.

Lundi Gras: French for "Fat Monday." From 1874 to 1917, the day before Mardi Gras featured Rex's ceremonial arrival by boat. The ritual was revived in 1987, and Lundi Gras now includes festivities staged by the Zulu and Rex Carnival organizations.

Mardi Card: A postcard-size pocket guide to Carnival in New Orleans that utilizes a patented accordian-folding brochure format called Z-CARD, which derives its name from the shape it takes when it unfolds. 

Mardi Gras: Because the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, was one of feasting, it came to be known as Fat Tuesday or, as the French would say, Mardi Gras. Occurring on any Tuesday from February 3 through March 9, Mardi Gras is tied to Easter, which falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the Spring Equinox. The climax of Carnival, Mardi Gras is always scheduled 47 days preceding Easter (the 40 days of Lent plus seven Sundays).

Mardi Gras Indians: Black "gangs" who "mask Indian" dress in elaborate handmade costumes, which are reminiscent of the American Plains Indians and the beadwork of Yoruba peoples of Nigeria, and engage in ritualized confrontations on Mardi Gras. Synthesizing African, Caribbean and American cultural strains, Mardi Gras Indians are representative of a broader phenomenon found areas where the cultures of African and Native peoples merged under colonialism.

Maskers: Wearers of costumes and masks--as in the lyric from The Wild Tchoupitoulas song "Meet the Boys on the Battlefront": "Maskers runnin' up and down the avenue/Here come the Injuns, let 'em through."

Neutral Ground: The grassy medium of New Orleans' wide streets and avenues where, during Carnival, parade goers stake claims by laying down blankets or ropes and setting up viewing ladders, tables, etc. Long ago, when Creoles lived on one side of Canal Street and their cultural rivals--Anglo-Americans--lived on the other, the wide strip in the middle was a literal neutral ground. Today, float riders say they are positioned on the "neutral ground side" or the "sidewalk side" of the floats.

Rex: The king of this krewe is also known as Rex, Latin for "king." He is always chosen based in part on his civic contributions. Rex and his queen, a debutante chosen by krewe leaders largely on the basis of her father's prominence, are considered to be monarchs of the entire Carnival celebration. Their identities are kept secret until the evening of Lundi Gras, when they're revealed on local TV news.

Second Line: New Orleans' special brand of street dancing, second lining grew out of traditional African-American parades. Strictly speaking, the "second line" refers to the mass of people who follow behind the procession. Alternatively, the term implies the whole event--usually a brass band or black Indian parade, or a jazz funeral--or denotes the distinctive syncopated rhythm of the music associated with such an event.

Tableau: A representation of one or more scenes depicting an episode or series of actions from a chosen theme. Applies to a ball or a scene depicted by an individual parade float. Krewe "royalty" are typically presented at a tableau ball, also known as a bal masqué.

Throws: Go-cups, panties, strands of beads and other items tossed by costumed riders on floats--often in the direction of pleading spectators who invoke the Mardi Gras mantra: "Throw me something, mister!"

Zulu: Praised by England's Queen Victoria, the Zulus were the most admired and romanticized of African tribes in the 19th century. Early in 1909, a group of New Orleans laborers saw a comedy skit about the Zulu king, Shaka. That year, on Mardi Gras, the group was led by a Zulu king who ruled with a banana stalk scepter and lard can crown. Today, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club has the largest African-American membership of any krewe.