A "beadtime" story

It was a software convention, not Mardi Gras, that brought me to New Orleans one fine February. I was there attending technical sessions right smack in the two week or so Carnival season, so the temptation was strong to leave and get masked. But just when I thought I would never even get a glimpse of the biggest FREE street party on Earth, a steady stream of fantastic floats and marching bands rolled down right in front of my hotel.

Mardi Gras is a French festival, borrowed from the pagans who showed their appreciation to their gods by throwing flour into the fields. Today, Mardi Gras "maskers" throw beads and trinkets to the crowds. The Mardi Gras season officially begins on the Twelfth Night, January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, or King's Day. Fat Tuesday is the culmination of the Carnival season preceding the religious observance of Ash Wednesday and the onset of Lent. A parade organized by "krewes" can have up to 50 floats.

Nothing prepared me to catch beads, cups and trinkets. On the first night I only caught a few because the tall Americans around me could catch everything in mid-air. At one point, a cup hit me in the head when a good-natured krewe directed it my way so I could have that cool souvenir. Note to self: practice how to catch stuff with your dog.

The beads' colors have meanings, like green for faith, purple for justice, and gold for power. At night when everybody is intoxicated in more ways than one, they all look like real gold to revelers who actually trade them around for other Carnival collectibles.

My three nights of reveling gained me close to 100 strings of multi-colored beads. I think I have just about enough to last me a lifetime.