Show new f orleans begins celebrating 1 famed mardi gras for time tim i rought u ht from paris by a gay group of sf students s in 1827 this ago age old european festival elaborately developed Dovolo pod in an american setting Sot ting has added to tho renown of the th j louisiana metropolis as the carnival capital of two hemispheres 0 western newspaper union 7 von PP M X 4 44 U 4 7 4 ri t f iff I 1 ilk I 1 A i 4 J N ta W 4 alf i COURT OF JOY king and queen of mardi gras hold court during one of the gay masques as cour present the costumed guests to the royal majesties of revelry by ELMO SCOTT WATSON OWN in or perhaps you call it nu MOWN I 1 or new orleene Or leens getting gettin ready gready to celebrate a festival which has made the louisiana iv anet iipp ropo olis lis the carnival capital of two hemispheres its the ai gras that ostentatious pageant which like a fairy tale come true parades year after year through the streets of that thit picturesque old louisiana city where the old blends with itah theties ew in such bewildering fashion ch year the splendor ip p and pageantry of the di i gras increases and year ear the city is spending aly to create a vi remonstration Oe demonstration that will etin in alive in the memo ot bf the multitude of rev until next years cele lilbon on rolls round again tope 6 celebrated against the tb aground round of louisianan Loui nera ra of golden prosperity esula of the fair play to i n stry I 1 program instituted V richard W leche a jit Mt i atmore more than a year ago i mardi gras is ex e e d to be more aithan an at any previous time in alts ts history of more than a cen century ry I 1 in this Is years carnival the lighthearted d creoles cheoles of louisiana are ring to acclaim the good i ithe the state is enjoying as a of an industrial expansion has brought of there in a little more a year largely due to the manship of governor f himself a descendant of id creole family and at nine one of the youngest executives in the nation ugh ough most people have the that hat the mardi gras is a y celebration when thou of visitors from all states any foreign lands join with izeory aenry of new orleans in nerry erry making this is only true As a matter of fact eb ration has already be arted in slow tempo on y 6 but from now on the tha lu ickens and it if will reach ht of joyousness on mardi lay ay which is fat tues bues r shrove ove tuesday 0 year mar mardi gras day falls ch ach 1 thus giving revelry orleans orleana free swing for 53 id d nights but at the dawn f wednesday the beginning solemn penitential period v the frolics die down the akers depart and the city ore lore settles down to the ly pace which is new or a or r te ten n months of the year ting another mardi gras it t orders known as s dominate the social merits of mardi gras tsing sing and planning the gor treet parades and the acin i masques the balls sh ap in the secret orders ched carefully members neet beet rigid requirements ay y fees to cover the cost of lardi ardi gras costumes the and d the cos turnery of the U queen the kings robes ost st 2 2000 and the queens ewels usually thousands stones and precious gems ed d artistically are valued ly half that amount her e is an evening gown i the browes of comus i night revelers and rex re e thre other large secret j social cliques these are proteus and hermes although the carnival season swings along at moderate tempo after its opening with the january 0 ball it develops into a merry whirl that leads from the ball a week pace to a balla ball a night during the final week winding up with both the comus and rex balls in a merger of splendor spectacular night parades staged by the secret societies cater to the visiting crowds the carnival reaches its acme on mardi gras day with the street parade of the brewe of rex the procession formed by a score of floats and several thousand attendants tend ants strings for five miles through the city along historic crowd thronged st charles and canal streets floats on which months of work have been spent by artist and artisan are drawn by white mules arrayed in holiday trappings the floats breathtaking breath taking in their beauty are fashioned to government which carries out its arrangements for the carnival steeped in mystery each of the secret societies numbers from to men generally club men and those prominent in social and civic affairs usually are selected to appear in the public displays and for the most part the 0 others remain in t the he background un d directing the colossal pageant the preparations for one display P require almost a year torch lights of one mastor master mardi gras pageant hardly die when work is begun to fashion another carnival still under the cover of strict secrecy the first step after the curtain has dropped upon mardi gras is a meeting for the selection of a design committee for tho the next carnival mival ca and a captain is chosen with supreme power of dictating the he procedure tedious details require weeks and final finally I 1 y an idea ij born an idea that will catch tho fancy of the next carnival crowd one that will surpass the ideas of the other yea years rs and will remain forever indelibly stamped in the memory of the revelers balls are conducted m with extreme formality tickets cannot be obtained at any price but are complimentary gestures by the social orders greatly to be desired are the call outs cuts in which unmasked society girls sit on the outer circle of the ballroom and await the calling of their names to dance with the masked revel 4 r aa N CARNIVAL KIS fornance the streets during bardl gras and lovers make no secretor secre tot openly proclaiming their aff ec eions as this couple appears to be idola 9 depict some theme mythological al figure creed of the social order or historic happening rex king of the carnival rides regally on his throne perched on the leading float afta aad is surrounded by members of his court and the th e courtiers who toss trinkets to the surging crowds the trinkets the kings largess to his subjects cause a mad scramble by the crowds as they surge forward to capture the mementoes to be treasured as reminders of the carnival carnaval there are few who understand the admirable and thorough system of organization through which the grandeur Is attained it Is a system as complete and efficient as an army or a government in fact it is a phantom ers era the girls who are chosen ore assured of social success but many are disappointed one of the newest developments of entertain entertainment merit at mardi gras is the childrens parade which is staged stage d on saturday ip Q week from mardi gras day the school children of new orle orleans an s pre prepare pare their own floats select a king and queen and parade the streets as their elders the shoe box floats approach the beauty of those of the fuu full size parades carnival gained its start almost as a religious festival since the word generally means a Uk farewell rewell iu flesh orone oc one final fling ling I before lent so after the fanfare of mardi gras is over new orleans settles down to the penitential solemnity of lent |