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Parading on Mardi Gras night, Comus was the final parade of the carnival season for over 100 years. It was much smaller and more sedate than the other parades of the day put on by Rex and the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club. The Comus parades became known for their sometimes obscure themes relating to ancient history and mythology. The Rex Organization (founded 1872), [1] commonly referred to simply as Rex, is a New Orleans Carnival krewe which stages one of the city's most celebrated parades on Mardi Gras Day. Rex is Latin for ' king ', and Rex reigns as "The King of Carnival". WYES host and producer Peggy Scott Laborde, along with Errol Laborde, Carnival historian and author of Mardi Gras: Chronicles of the New Orleans Carnival and Will French, Rex Organization historian, provide commentary throughout the evening. The live program contains interviews with past and present Rex and Comus royalty along with historical They are the origin of many Mardi Gras traditions, including the official Carnival colors of purple, green and gold, as well as the collectible doubloon coins (introduced by Rex in 1960). The Krewe consists of 600 male riders and parades on the New Orleans Uptown route on Mardi Gras day, immediately after Zulu. It’s that magical time of year when Carnival season descends on the city. the Mardi Gras ladders get dusted off, you can stock up on your collection of Mardi Gras cups, and king cakes are everywhere you turn. Mardi Gras has been a time honored tradition since the 1730s, slowly evolving into the Mardi Gras we know today. Since we’re in the beginning of Carnival season, we’d thought we’d The oldest Mardi Gras krewe, Comus, quit parading in 1992 after an ordinance required integration. Comus – joined by Rex and Momus in 1872, and Proteus in 1882 – sought a different kind of It became such a hit they continued to parade on Mardi Gras and took on the role of the King of Mardi Gras. The organization incorporated under the name "The School of Design." The Historic New Orleans Collection 1962 [Acc. No. 1974.25.19.281] For a century and a half, the Rex organization has become the frontline leader of all Mardi Gras parades. In one way, Mardi Gras left the old world 50 years ago. That's when the Mistick Krewe of Comus, at the time the final parade of the season, last paraded through the French Quarter. Mardi Gras is for All Y’all – compared to Carnival a half-century ago, The highlight of this historic parade was the appearance of Rex and Comus on the same float. Date uknown. The Boeuf Gras rolls in the Rex parade down St. Charles Ave. on Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. (Staff Photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune) STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD The grand finale of Mardi Gras 2024 came Shrove Tuesday evening with the traditional Meeting of the Courts of the Mistick Krewe of Comus and Rex during the Comus bal masque at the Marriott Hotel. On Mardi Gras night Comus provided the final parade of the New Orleans Carnival season for over 100 years. It was much smaller and more sedate than the other parades of the day put on by Rex and Zulu Krewes. The Rex Ball. The Rex Ball brings Mardi Gras to a glittering conclusion, combining music, traditional pageantry, processions, marches, and dancing. In recent years the Rex Ball has been held in New Orleans' Sheraton Hotel, and the Comus Ball has been held across Canal Street at the Marriott Hotel. The epitome of this ritual occurs at the Meeting of the Courts on Mardi Gras, when Rex and Comus, in a highly choreographed display of opulent pageantry, escort each other’s queens around the ballroom. They waive their scepters and acknowledge the approbation of their “subjects,” while the orchestra plays the grand march from the opera Aida. 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 By accepting, Rex showed respect for the elder krewe although whether this is because Rex is a king paying tribute to the god Comus or because Rex is acknowledging the importance and influence of the original Mardi Gras krewe is much debated. Traditions new and old unfolded on the streets with marching krewes, parades and Mardi Gras Indians. For Rex, King of Carnival, and the Queen of Carnival, and Comus with his consort, Mardi Gras is 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 Retiring the meeting of Rex and Comus will help sever Comus’ remaining privileges and, in so doing, put an end to the visible remnants of Carnival’s hate-filled past. Mardi Gras is a tradition almost as old as the state in which it was cradled. In the near two centuries that New Orleanians have indulged in carnivalized extravagance, the 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).
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