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The first Comus parade was held on Mardi Gras 1857, and this became an annual event. Other organizations sprang up in New Orleans in the 19th century, inspired by the Comus model, and also came to be known as Krewes. Parading on Mardi Gras night, Comus was the final parade of the carnival season for over 100 years. Fun fact: Comus chose not to parade from 1885-1889, and during this time the Krewe of Proteus took their coveted parade route on Mardi Gras night. When Comus came back in 1890, Proteus refused to change their route, so both parades collided on Canal Street, in a bit of a stand off. The parade was a huge success, and Comus continued to lead Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans for years to come. Today, Mardi Gras is a major event in New Orleans, drawing visitors from all over the world to enjoy the festivities. In 1699, the French explorer Iberville and the American explorer Mardi Gras arrived in America. Prior to the When first established, Mardi Gras revelries in New Orleans were raucous, sometimes violent, and largely attended by the Catholic Creole community. In 1857, six of the city's leading Protestant businessmen banded together to form the secret society, the Mistick Krewe of Comus, based on a character created by poet John Milton. By the mid-1850s, Mardi Gras in New Orleans was a rough and rowdy affair that threatened the very existence of the festival. From the imagination of several men sprang the scheme for a lavish parade. The result, in 1857, was the Mistick Krewe of Comus – the prototype of organized Carnival parades and balls, known to this day. A brief history of the Mystick Krewe of Comus, the original New Orleans Mardi Gras Krewe, and how they are celebrated to this day despite their racist grand Mardi Gras parades. The first Comus parade was held on Mardi Gras 1857, and this became an annual event. Other organizations sprang up in New Orleans in the 19th century, inspired by the Comus model, and also came to be known as Krewes. Parading on Mardi Gras night, Comus was the final parade of the carnival season for over 100 years. The theme of the Mistick Krewe of Comus' first procession was "The Demon Actors of 'Paradise Lost.'" Every tradition has a beginning, and New Orleans can trace its modern Mardi Gras tradition to A Krewe of Comus began the Carnival parading tradition in 1857. This parade was in 1955. After last year’s Mardi Gras, James Reiss III, a former Rex and co-chairman of the Mayor's Mardi Gras The Mystick Krewe of Comus was also responsible for introducing the concept of a Mardi Gras king. In 1873, the krewe chose John T. Monroe as their first king, and he was crowned with a wreath of live oak and olive leaves. Monroe was a popular choice, and his reign ushered in a new era of Mardi Gras pageantry. Taylor, on the other hand, recognized that as a public event dependent on city funding, Mardi Gras and its Carnival krewes ought to be open to all. Though we want to believe that Dorothy Mae Taylor’s bill demystified Mardi Gras and prevented historic krewes from upholding white privilege, racism and Carnival are still deeply intertwined. A champagne toast is exchanged by Comus, god of festive joy and mirth, and his queen as the Krewe of Comus parade halted before the Louisiana Club on St. Charles on Fat Tuesday 1955. A letter dated March 13, 2003 from Crystal to Salvadore transferring her great Aunt Mimi’s collection of writings, recordings and notes on the founding of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Mystick Krewe if Comus. New Orleans Mardi Gras Mystick Krewe of Comus founding in 1857 is same year that at the inauguration of U.S. President James Buchanan 50 Mystick Krewe of Comus. Mardi Gras Memorabilia. Mardi Gras Memorabilia Meet the Collectors Comus. Comus (1857-1929) Comus (1930-1999) In 1870, Mardi Gras' second Krewe, the Twelfth Night Revelers, was formed. This is also the first recorded account of Mardi Gras "throws.". Newspapers began to announce Mardi Gras events in advance, and they even printed "Carnival Edition" lithographs of parades' fantastic float designs (after they rolled, of course - themes and floats were always carefully guarded before the procession). Like most artifacts of the Antebellum South, embedded deep within Mardi Gras is a heritage of hate rooted in racial discrimination. Charges of racism have plagued New Orleans’ celebration of Mardi Gras since its inception in 1857 when the first parading organization, the Mistick Krewe of Comus, was established. The Most Exclusive Mardi Gras Krewes. Krewe of Comus (Founded 1857) – The oldest Mardi Gras krewe, Comus introduced New Orleans to the concept of a themed parade and remains one of the most secretive groups. Unlike many modern krewes, Comus does not allow public membership, and its Twelfth Night Ball is an invitation-only event attended by The first official Mardi Gras flambeaux debuted with the Mistick Krewe of Comus on Fat Tuesday in 1857. In the beginning, the flambeaux were needed for revelers to see the Carnival parades at night. Originally, the flambeaux carried wooden rudimentary torches, which were staves wrapped with lit pine-tar rags. In 1857, six New Orleans businessmen formed the city’s first Mardi Gras krewe – the Mystic Krewe of Comus. That year, they paraded two floats on the theme The Demon Actors in Milton’s Paradise Lost. The movements grew. In 1886, the Mystic Krewe of Comus created a much larger series of 18 floats called Visions of Other Worlds. The designs The term is best known for its association with Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, but is also used in other Carnival celebrations throughout Louisiana (e.g. in Lafayette, Shreveport, and Baton Rouge) and along the Gulf of Mexico, such as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival in Tampa, Florida, Springtime Tallahassee, and Krewe of Amalee in
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