Mardi Gras History

So how did this all begin?  The following is the history....with lots of gaps.


1703- It is believed that a limited version of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is celebrated at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff, the first Mobile settlement. The day is celebrated with feasting and drinking.


1711- The celebration of Mardi Gras continues at the present site of Mobile as residents join together in song, food, and dance. The “Boeuf Gras Society,” meaning fat beef, is founded and a large, paper-mache bull’s head is reportedly paraded down Dauphin Street on an ox-drawn cart.

1830- Michael Krafft in Mobile establishes America’s first organized and masked Carnival Society, “The Cowbellion de Rakin Society.” On December 31, 1830, Krafft and six of his friends “borrow” rakes, bells, hoes, and pitchforks from a local hardware store and parade through the streets of Mobile until the early hours of New Years Day. The “Cowbellions’” costumes are made in France and delivered by ship to Mobile.

1837- Members of the “Cowbellion de Rakin Society” introduce “throws” to the parade crowd. Cobellians throw sugar plumbs, kisses, and oranges to the crowd.
  
1861- The “Boeuf Gras Society,” founded in 1711, is disbanded as many of its young members go off to fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War.

1864- As a result of the Battle of Mobile Bay, the city of Mobile cancels the celebration of Carnival to recuperate and concentrate on the defense of the city from Union troop attack.

1872- The Royal Court tradition begins in Mobile as Daniel E. Huger is crowned “Emperor Felix I.”
 

1902- Some 4,600 incandescent lights are hung on buildings lighting the Mardi Gras parade route.

Mobile’s General Council restricts the wearing of masks to mystic societies and children under twelve years old. This legal measure is designed to crack down on “mischievous” crime and other bad behavior during the carnival season. This ordinance also forbids females to enter bar rooms on Mardi Gras Day.  

1942 - 1944- All Mardi Gras parades and balls are replaced by war bond rallies and patriotic functions related to World War II.


1950- Mobile’s first women’s mystic societies (Order of the Polka Dots and Maids of Mirth) make their parade debuts.

1996- It is estimated that $25 million a year is circulated through the Mobile economy as a result of Mardi Gras.