Jaunted

Though the parades in New Orleans started in the 1830s, the tradition of “throws” to the crowd began in the 1920s when the “krewe,” or members, of the Rex Float tossed glass bead necklaces to the crown. Soon all the floats were doing it.

Back in the day, the beads were made from Czechoslovakian and Japanese glass, but now they’re just plastic in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold and green representing justice, power and faith respectively. Nowadays, the most prized throws are the hand-painted coconuts handed out by the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club krewe. (That's the best name ever!) Obviously, those coconuts are handed out rather than thrown, for obvious reasons.

So what about the beads-for-bare-breasts trade-off? That dubious tradition became the rage in the sexually liberated 1970s and doesn’t happen at the parades themselves, but usually afterwards once the drunken revelers filter back into the French Quarter. Needless to say, if you are baring your breasts for beads then you probably don't care about which ropes of plastic balls are thrown at you.

Insider Tip: if you go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, don’t expect to catch the parades in the French Quarter or on Bourbon Street—the lanes are too narrow. The action is all over on the main thoroughfares of St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street, so be sure to head over there. And keep your shirt on.

Related Stories:
· Mardi Gras Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: Manus]