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Learn the history and controversy of flashing for beads at Mardi Gras, a tradition that dates back to 1889 but became popular in the 1970s. Find out how men and women can earn beads without showing their bodies on Bourbon Street. 📿 Beads and Throws of Mardi Gras Significance of Beads. Mardi Gras beads are an iconic part of this famous celebration. These colorful plastic necklaces are tossed to revelers as they line the streets of New Orleans and other cities during Mardi Gras parades. If you want to understand what Mardi Gras beads symbolize, you should know that This 1969 image shows a Mardi Gras crowd on Bourbon Street, a locale often associated with the storied phenomenon of “flashing”—baring breasts in exchange for beads—though as any local will tell you, it’s a lecherous canard perpetuated by tourists off the parade route. Glass beads. Every once in a while you’ll catch a pair of glass beads, recycled from the days before plastic. This is kind of cool, first, because you’ll actually wear them off the parade route and, second, because it’s fun to imagine all the people who have caught these beads before you. Long beads and big beads The large, traditional Mardi Gras krewes who bring you the "Greatest Free Show on Earth" do not even parade through the Quarter because there is a size restriction on floats in that area. There are some small foot-parades through the French Quarter, but nothing like what you see in photos and videos, or that you would normally think of when you Those throwing the good beads from floats love to see their beads fly through the air. Rarely will anyone standing on the barricades get the best beads. You need to stand back!!! I promise you, the better beads and the bigger beads will come your way if you are NOT right up against the barricades. Next, signs are an attention grabber. Float riders toss beads, cups and doubloons to fans and revelers in the 2013 Krewe of Bacchus Mardi Gras Parade on Feb. 10, 2013, in New Orleans Skip Bolen—Getty Images Beads and Throws The throwing of trinkets to the crowds was started in the early 1870s by the Twelfth Night Revelers, and is a time-honored expectation for young and old alike. Read more. In New Orleans for the Mardi Gras, I, surely, wasn’t ready for the mad ride and ceaseless exhilaration. Think 250 million beads being tossed around randomly. Mardi Gras can make a lot of trash, adding up to millions of pounds each year. Now, some parades in New Orleans are cutting down on their environmental footprint by banning plastic beads. Wear Shoes You’re Willing to Sacrifice Your cute shoes won’t survive the beer puddles, mystery liquids, and broken beads. Consider them a Mardi Gras offering. Costumes Are Encouraged (and Sometimes Required) If you’re not in a wig, sequins, or at least a feather boa, are you even doing Mardi Gras right? These great New Orleans Mardi Gras bead stores have more beads than you've ever seen in your life and that includes all those beads leftover after the biggest parades. Where to Get Mardi Gras Beads in Greater New Orleans. 1. Mardi Gras Spot - Plush Appeal. 2812 Toulouse St., (504) 482-0000. mardigrasspot.com. Mardi Gras Spot - Plush Apparel As flashing for beads has evolved into a Mardi Gras pastime, “Show your tits!” has become as much a part of the lexicon as “Throw me something, mister!” But those inclined to revel in the risqué should be mindful of the fact that what was once a spontaneous and casual phenomenon undertaken in a spirit of lighthearted indulgence, has If you're heading out to the Krewe of Centaur parade this Saturday in Shreveport, first of all, have fun! Second, we hope you catch your weight in Mardi Gras beads and other trinkets! Before we get into the tips and tricks of catching more than your fair share of beads, here's everything you need to know for Saturday's Krewe of Centaur parade. This tradition is newer than you might think, probably dating to the 1970s. New Orleans's Mardi Gras celebrations centered on the French Quarter, the city's historic district, in the early twentieth century. The area had become unfashionable, as the wealthy old families moved out to get away from the immigrants moving in. As you can tell from the pictures, Mardi Gras festivals get pretty ornate. We hope everyone in New Orleans had a blast and is sleeping in today — and counting up their beads. Latest
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