Hey Mister, Throw Me Something: Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama

February 23rd, 2010 → 9:55 am @ MelissaHoward

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Mardi Gras literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French, but it took me a full day to discern the true meaning of the festivities. Becoming a part of Mardi Gras in Mobile gave me a deeper appreciation for the South and the traditions that were born here. It’s a complete culture, a festive lifestyle where magic still exists and strangers throw gifts at you.

The Fat Tuesday celebration in cities like Mobile and New Orleans is an obsession, but contrary to popular belief, Mardi Gras was first celebrated in America in Mobile, not New Orleans. It is one of the only traditions still observed in the area, and though New Orleans probably has the most heinous Mardi Gras celebration in this hemisphere, Mobile’s version boldly embraces the heritage and culture of early French settlers.

I heard the jazz music floating in the air when I got out of my car, welcoming me to a home I had never seen before. I know now that it’s painted the purple, gold and green shades of Mardi Gras, is reminiscent of new friends who are somehow already old friends and smells like bloomin’ onions and spilt beer.

The atmosphere of the crowd in Mobile pulsed with every incoming float when the parade started. We yelled, waved and danced to the jazz bands and floats trolling the streets. We chanted together “Right over here! We want the (insert throwable object here),” some men shouting “You throw like a girl!” or frantic children yelling “Give me!” when the right moment came.

The tradition of throwing souvenirs to Mardi Gras crowds started in the late 19th century, when krewes dressed up like aristocrats and threw sugar-covered almonds and beads to the masses. These gifts were symbols of benevolence from the upper class to the lower class, and they served to connect the community during Mardi Gras, even if conditions were less than stellar under normal circumstances.

All was chaos during the feast before the fast. Counties all over the South cancelled school for the first half of the week. People fought over stuffed animals and frisbees. Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana became one large circus where larger-than-life dragons, crabs, kings and superheroes rule the streets. The last day of Mardi Gras, February 16 this year, culminated all the bliss and joy of the past few weeks before the next day brought the Lenten fasting season. People partied like it was their last day to live, not just their last day to eat king cake!

My hazy desire to catch everything that was thrown my way that afternoon turned into a blatant yearning for a souvenir, and then that yearning turned into a neck cramp as my head bowed with the weight of bright Mardi Gras beads. Since I made friends with the strangers surrounding me, we all shared our pull from the day with the kids. I knew I had truly experienced Mardi Gras when I enlisted my new friends’ help to free my hair from the beads around my neck.

Even though I woke up to “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees and other various noise blaring down my block in Florida twice this week from local parades, I have never experienced anything quite like Mobile Mardi Gras. Laissez les bon temps rouler (French for “let the good times roll”) may as well be the city’s motto.

It’s apparent how important it is to keep tradition alive in the parades and other Mardi Gras activities in Mobile. The festivities and balls revolve around a theme of secrecy, goodwill and pleasure, and the riders on the floats wore masks so no one could recognize them. They pummeled the crowd with candy, beads, coins, flying discs, stuffed animals and anything else that wasn’t rooted to the float. It was all in good spirit, but they threw hard! I feared for the safety of my front teeth until the moment I got in my car, but the jokes we made out of our feeble attempts to shield our heads had me laughing through the danger.

If you’ve never been to a Mardi Gras parade, put it on your bucket list. It’s like the biggest block party you’ve ever seen, and people of all ages go absolutely feral. It’s not unlikely to see a 70+-year-old woman taking shots of tequila or to spot a child running lawlessly through the streets.

After Mardi Gras there’s nothing to look forward to until Easter, so anything goes on Fat Tuesday. Centuries of tradition back this celebration, and nothing’s better than a huge party, tolerant people and free stuff, even if I still can’t come up with a use for the excess of beads I came home with.

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About the Author

MelissaHowardMelissa Howard is a Tickle Spot intern and freelance writer/editor working from Pensacola, Florida. She can’t stop biting her nails, loves winking at strangers, has tattoos you’ll never know about, and enjoys her nightmares. Take her to Disneyworld and she'll regress a decade.

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