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Mardi Gras actually means Fat Tuesday in French. Does anyone else hear a brass band? Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday or Carnival, is a vibrant festival celebrated from Europe to South America, to Mobile, New Orleans, and a little island off the coast of Texas. Galveston Island is home to the third-largest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States.
Like many celebratory traditions in Galveston, Mardi Gras is not just a holiday or an excuse to let your inhibitions run wild but a time of year that brings Galvestonians and visitors from around the country together. Mardi Gras is a fun and exciting holiday celebrated by many countries around the world.
It dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. It's traditionally celebrated on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, and the start of Lent. Mardi Gras actually means Fat Tuesday in French. "Mardi" being the Tuesday part, for the record. During Mardi Gras, people celebrate by wearing costumes, throwing beads and trinkets, decorating floats, and eating king cake.
The first Mardi Gras in the United States was celebrated in 1703 in Mobile, Alabama, but New Orleans hosts the largest and most famous celebrations in the country. However, it is safe to say that Mardi Gras has a long history in Galveston. One of the founders of the city of Galveston, Michelle Menard, is noted to have kicked off Mardi Gras celebrations at his home in 1853 with a Mardi Gras ball, which quickly caught on throughout Galveston's early high society.
In 1867, the first official celebration included a masquerade ball and a costumed theatrical performance. It wasn't until 1871 that the event was celebrated on a grand scale, with the emergence of two rival Mardi Gras societies, also known as Crews, with a K. The Knights of Momus and the Knights of Myth.
Parades, balls, costumes, and exuberant invitations became the norm. By 1880, these massive parades became so costly that they pulled the throttle back on some of the celebrations. In 1910, massive citywide celebrations were revived. The 1910 Mardi Gras Parade was organized by the National Haymakers Association, a social auxiliary to the 'Improved Order of Red Men,' which is a fraternal organization established in 1834.
This organization was open to only white men until the 1970s, and they initially developed their rituals and regalia from misguided perceptions of Native American practices and dress. Functionally, the group was established as a social organization promoting general patriotism and temperance. Which is kind of ironic, given the implications of Mardi Gras festivities.
The 1910 Fat Tuesday parade drew thousands of spectators who packed the streets. One local newspaper reported that "the spirit of revelry and masked fun prevailed throughout the day and far into the night."
The entire celebration went off without a hitch. And locals saw a lot of potential in the event. Some of the island's residents decided that the celebrations would continue on a more elaborate and systematic scale.
Year after year, Mardi Gras celebrations became larger and larger. Floats and marching bands would entertain the crowd just like they do today. There's even a story in the newspaper of a group of over 200 cowboys that happened to be on the island during the Mardi Gras celebrations, fresh from a roundup moving cattle to market at Galveston.
The newspaper states, "The boys were attired in strictly range style, and during the parade, they gave exhibitions of fancy and trick range riding." Their chuckwagon even rolled along the parade route. Prizes were even given out to those with the most creative float design. Those who earned the most original float title won a prize of $5, adjusted for inflation that's about $160 today. Not bad.
In the early 20th century, Galvestonian saw a great opportunity to bring tourists and revelers to Galveston during the winter off-season, seeing as Galveston has been and is a tourist destination. In the warm summer months, the island's economy had been suffering since the Great Hurricane of 1900, and Galveston needed a serious boost.
Local business leaders and other residents organized to seize the opportunity to market Mardi Gras as an annual event. Mardi Gras celebrations continued through World War I and the Great Depression, but when the United States joined World War II in 1941, continuing the celebrations just didn't feel right. A total commitment to the war effort caused the halt of Mardi Gras on the island for many years. Throughout the mid-20th century, only small Mardi Gras celebrations were held on the island. It wasn't until 1985 when a local entrepreneur, George P. Mitchell, and his wife, Cynthia, launched a revival of a city wide Mardi Gras event. The goal was to revive the city's traditions and boost the Galveston economy. George and Cynthia Mitchell had long dreamed of reinvigorating the island's celebrations. These rejuvenated celebrations were a spectacle to behold. After four decades, the Knights of Momis were brought back to life as Galvestonians were determined to bring back the tradition of Mardi Gras.
A mile-long grand night parade featuring nine dazzling floats designed by renowned New Orleans float builder Blaine Kern, Along with hundreds of musicians and marching bands, was led through the streets of the Strand to delight over 75,000 cheering spectators. The new Knights of Momis were committed to recreating the original pageantry and excitement of the Mardi Gras celebrations in Galveston and ensuring that the spirit of the original Knights of Momis lives on.
So much so that in 1985, Queen Elizabeth II's dressmaker was arranged to create gowns for the Momis Duchesses. The Knights of Momis is active today, and is involved in many events and projects throughout the year. They host parades and balls. In keeping with tradition, the Knights of Momis names young ladies from the community to be duchesses, among the many crews that are involved in Galveston.
Much like today, the parades and the week-long Mardi Gras celebrations include a gala ball and musical performances. Mardi Gras, drawing over a quarter million celebratory visitors to the island every year, significantly boosts the Galveston economy and keeps the tradition of Fat.
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Author
J.R. Shaw Creator & Host of Galveston Unscripted
J.R. Shaw is the creator and host of Galveston Unscripted Podcast & audio tour. Shaw recognizes that history is nuanced and learning it can be powerful. He's made it his mission to reduce the friction between true history and anyone who is willing to listen! J.R. Shaw focuses on telling the full story through podcasting and social media with the goal of making learning accurate history easy and entertaining for all who seek it.
J.R. grew up along the Texas Gulf Coast, where he learned to love talking with anyone about anything! He started Galveston Unscripted after he realized how much he loved talking to people about their stories related to Galveston Island and Texas History. "So much of our history is lost when we don't have the opportunity to hear from those who lived it or have second-hand knowledge."
