Show KING OF MIRTH 4 11 A iff tito tiie lung king of mardi oras gras Is seated on his royal throne as ruler of new orleans tor for a day although mardi gras will bo be one hundred and eleven years old in ili now orleans with this years ceremonies its actual ago age cannot bo be computed it reaches beyond the age of buddha and the ancient chinese festivals of chong cheng and chion chen its origin has been traced to the early cpr spring ng festivals of the pagans years ago when mankind was struggling to master a language unfettered joy tho the soul of mardi gras was the universal language which the pagan found so it lives today in the rich mirth and melody of the louisiana carnival in 1827 only years after of ter the birth of new orleans mardi gras was brought to the new world by a group of students who had been attending school in paris garbed in motley costumes and masked in grotesque fashion they roamed the streets of new orleans singing lively songs committing mild mischief and cavorting in glee during the past years nobility incognito behind the mask of a reveler has joined in the celebration in fact the lilting mardi gras theme song was inspired by a foreign noble grand duke alexis of russia brother of the czar who joined the new orleans revelers in 1872 if I 1 ever cease to love it if I 1 ever cease to love may the grand gr a nd duke alexis ride a buffalo in texas if I 1 ever cease to love chanted the crowds and that stul still is the chorus of the mardi gras anthem after the introduction of mardi gras by the ribald students of 1827 the french quarter took up the celebration for years the street carnival paraded in rags and tatters but emerged in 1837 after months of preparation a th thing g of beauty that was new orleans first real mardigras mardi gras it was not until 1857 however that the secret social orders began to spring up the first was the brewe of comus which today is the oldest and most exclusive of the dar carnival groups comus was organized by a group of young business men and derived its name from the god 9 od of festive joy and wirth mirth john milton the english poet had written about comus and consequently the floats of the brewe crewe that year depicted see scenes nes from the poets paradise lost in 1870 the second carnival so cial group was formed the twelfth night revelers joined comus giving their ball on january 6 since that day the twelfth night order has opened the mardi gras season with a bau ball on the twelfth night after christmas the brewe of rex the royal and reigning order of the carnival was born in 1872 and until th this s day the organization nam names es the lie king and queen or of mardi gras ras rulers supreme for the one lay day the rex parade is staged in daylight in order that it will not conflict with the sensational night parade of comus rex was given mardi gras night for its ball and comus still holds its masque on the same night at the stroke of midnight as ash wednesday ushers in lent the kinland kin king gand and queen and court of rex join the king queen and court of comus the glittering array of princely costumes is one of the most colorful spectacles in all mardi gras As legend goes rex was th the eLord lord of misrule aion yon of old king cole and terpsichore the greek goddess of the dance so the fun loving new orleans so cia lites adopted the mythological figure as a sponsor after the carnival of 1872 the state of louisiana en enacted a acted s a low law sett setting log aside mardi gras as a statewide state wide holiday however observance of the festival virtually was a necessity nece sAty before the law jaw business houses were unable to keep keea their doors open for the crowds of merrymakers merry makers so the logical thing to do was to join them and what they did right gladly |