Gallery
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Mardi Gras throws are strings of beads, doubloons, cups, or other trinkets passed out or thrown from the floats for Mardi Gras celebrations, particularly in New Orleans, the Mobile, Alabama, and parades throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States, to spectators lining the streets. The "gaudy plastic jewelry, toys, and other mementos [are Louisiana Public Broadcasting: History of Mardi Gras Throws Watch the Video Watch LPB's special feature on the history and future of Mardi Gras throws, produced in collaboration with staff from the Historic New Orleans Collection. The most prized throws are the krewe's "signature throws." Zulu has it famous coconuts and many other krewes offer hand-decorated items including Muses shoes, Nyx purses, Alla genie lamps, Carrollton shrimp boots and the list goes on. That tradition continues today with the Cajun courir de Mardi Gras. Following the Twelfth Night Revelers’ 1871 procession, Santa Claus distributed gifts from a bag, marking the first appearance of Mardi Gras “throws” in the city. Here’s a look back at the history of Mardi Gras throws. A Jan. 7, 1871, clipping from The Daily Picayune reports on what is recognized as the first instance of "throws" during a New Orleans The Twelfth Night Revelers, one of the earliest Mardi Gras krewes, are credited with initiating this custom. During their 1871 parade, a member dressed as Santa Claus delighted the crowd by distributing gifts, marking the first recorded instance of throws in an official parade. Evolution of Throws . Over the decades, Mardi Gras throws have 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). One of the many Mardi Gras throws which krewes fling into the crowds, doubloons are large coins, either wood or metal, made in Mardi Gras colors. Artist H. Alvin Sharpe created the modern doubloon for The School of Design (the actual name of the Rex organization). Signature Throws. Paradegoers are not content with just beads. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, a historically Black parading organization that first marched on Mardi Gras day in 1910, pioneered the signature throw. At some point in their early history, Zulu participants began tossing unadorned coconuts to the crowd. History of Mardi Gras throws. During the Mardi Gras parade, you’ll see krewes throwing items off of their parade floats. Fittingly, these items are called “throws”. The first Mardi Gras throws were from the krewe called the Twelfth Night Revelers in the early 1870s. A man dressed in a Santa Claus suit threw souvenirs to the crowd. A rider hands a throw to a young parade goer, Saturday, February 26, 2022, as the Spanish Town Mardi Gras Parade returns to downtown Baton Rouge, La. Every year, as winter fades and spring approaches, the streets of New Orleans explode with color, music, and celebration. Mardi Gras, the grandest festival in Louisiana, is famous for its parades, beads, masked revelers, and deep cultural traditions. Mardi Gras Parade-goers in New Orleans don’t just stand by and watch. Parades are an interactive experience where people dance and scream, “Throw me something, mister!” to acquire beads and various throws. According to the Audubon Institute, float riders toss about 25 million pounds of beads throughout the season to honor a beloved carnival tradition. The coveted Mardi Gras throw is something everyone wants to walk away with.Riders loaded hundreds of painted coconuts onto floats ahead of the parade Mardi Gras morning.Above video: 'It's great to The Krewe of Iris is the oldest all-female krewe and, with 3,660 members, is the largest krewe in Mardi Gras history. Their zoo—influenced theme for 2025 is "Iris, They All Asked for You.” Their zoo—influenced theme for 2025 is "Iris, They All Asked for You.” Best Place to Buy Mardi Gras Beads Online & In Louisiana! We carry a huge selection of Heavy Doubloons, Plastic Swords, Bracelets, Clappers, Toys, Mardi Gras Trinkets, and Parade Toys for Mardi Gras. Toys & Trinkets - Throws | Mardi Gras Beads for Less From sweet treats handed from ladies in carriages, to today's wonderfully colorful souvenir trinkets of sparkling and blinking plastic, Mardi Gras throws have a long history in the celebration of Carnival in New Orleans, but they also bring unintended consequences. The first use of the words "Mardi Gras" in Louisiana was in 1699, when Pierre le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, named a bend in the river "Pointe du Mardi Gras," in honor of that year's Fat Tuesday. However, Carnival was rarely celebrated in the new colony—the early people of the Big Easy found life in the mud-caked huts and thatched roofs of New Brian Costello, author of Carnival in Louisiana: Celebrating Mardi Gras from the French Quarter to the Red River, writes, "The Carnival season and Mardi Gras day trace their roots from the Bacchanalia and Saturnalia ritual promiscuity of Roman times. With the spread of Christianity, similar revelry occurred during the period of carnival (Latin Any new studies on cultural Mardi Gras only further the field. Mardi Gras is an annual cultural experience that deserves to be studied with all of the care of other historical subjects. This study will attempt to illuminate the needed history of Carnival throws. Mardi Gras is a living, continual history that needs to be preserved for future
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |