Fat Tuesday in New Orleans: Floats, masks, trinkets and more

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Thousands of people bundled up against the cold winds in New Orleans on Tuesday, screaming for beads from passing floats and dancing to marching bands as the city marked the culmination of the famous Mardi Gras celebration.

The last day of parades rolled along St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street before Lent, a period of penance and spiritual renewal, begins Wednesday. Families set up ladders for their children to sit on and thus get a better chance to catch beads and trinkets – prized possessions thrown out by float riders on Fat Tuesday.

Jonas Edwards, from North Carolina, was wearing a long rope of large shiny beads in the distinctive purple, green and gold colors that are synonymous with the holiday. He hoped to catch one of the hand-decorated coconuts given out during the Zulu parade.

“I came last year and the Zulu parade is what did it for me, and I wanted to come experience it again,” he said. “I just had a good time. Last year I think I got a coconut as well. Let’s see what plays out this year.”

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WHAT ARE THE BIG PARADES?

The Krewe of Zulu parade is put on by the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, a historically black organization in New Orleans. Their parade dates back to roughly 1910. Then the Rex Organization, which dates back to 1872, follows Zulu. Rex’s history is closely tied with Mardi Gras traditions. For example, Rex’s colors – purple, green and gold – have become the symbolic colors of Mardi Gras as well. After Rex comes two truck parades, also along St. Charles Avenue. That marks the end of the major parades in the city until next year.

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WHAT KIND OF TRINKETS CAN PEOPLE CATCH?

Riders on the floats generally wear masks and throw beads or other specially made trinkets to people along the parade route. Families line up early along the side of the street or on the median – called the neutral ground in New Orleans – to get a good seat. One especially prized “throw” is the coconuts given out by members of Zulu. The coconuts have been hollowed out, and the outside hair is removed; they’re then decorated with glitter or elaborate designs. Riders in the Zulu parade also threw out small stuffed animals, specially decorated beads and hats with the words “Zulu” emblazoned in yellow.

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WHAT ELSE HAPPENS?

Before sunrise Tuesday, about 100 people turned out at the Backstreet Cultural Museum to see the North Side Skull & Bone Gang come out. The gang is a longtime Mardi Gras tradition. Members wear costumes resembling skeletons with paper mache masks covering their heads. They go through the neighborhood waking people up on Fat Tuesday.

Dabne Whitemore came to the door in her white bathrobe after hearing the gang and its drums coming from down the street: “I was laying in my bed upstairs in the back, and I heard the drums coming and I knew it was time. … They come and wake me up every morning for fifteen years.”

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WHAT’S THE WEATHER LIKE?

Cold. Winds gusting up to 30 mph made mid-40s temperatures feel lower. People along the parade route wore thick jackets and hats, and wrapped themselves under layers of blankets as they watched the floats roll by. Barbara Tate, from Maryland, said it was fun but a little chilly: “I was hoping it would be a bit warmer. I didn’t know I needed to bring long underwear.”