Mardi Gras Dictionary

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 Ball - A masked dance and party held by a krewe to celebrate Mardi Gras and introduce their royalty for the season. Some krewes have short variety performances based on that year's theme.

Boeuf Gras - Literally "fat bull" in French. Since Fat Tuesday is the day before the beginning of Lent (when Catholics traditionally do not eat meat), this beast represents the last hurrah before plunging into the Lenten tradition of eating fish on Fridays. Until 1909, the Rex parade walked a live bull through the streets. A paper mache version first appeared in 1959.

Captain - The leader of each Carnival group or organization.

Carnival - The season immediately before Lent, when people enjoy the sensual pleasures of life. Eating, drinking, dancing...the whole bit. The word is derived from Latin: Carne levare, levamen (farewell to flesh).

Court -The king, queen, maids and dukes of the krewe.

Den - A secret location where floats are built and stored after Carnival season.

Doubloons - Fake coins with the krewe's logo or motto on the front and theme on the back. Doubloons were first introduced by the Krewe of Rex in 1960.

Favor - A token of appreciation given by krewe members to friends attending the ball. This souvenir typically has the krewe's insignia, name, and a date of issue. The item is often a ring, pin or doubloon.

Flambeaux - Blazing torches used to illuminate nighttime parades. The practice dates back to a time before electric streetlights lit parade routes, but flambeaux carriers (the men who tote the torches in parades) continue to carry on the tradition in parades that roll after sunset. It is customary to throw coins to the men for their efforts.

Float -The big things in between the bands and horses. People ride on them and throw beads. (C'mon, keep up with everyone else.) The first float probably rolled in the 1830s. For more information, see our history of Mardi Gras.

Indians - Mardi Gras Indians are mixed-race blacks and Native Americans around New Orleans. The roots of the group goes back the common struggle of these groups against European and American settlers. Mardi Gras Indians wear hand-stitched costumes with thousands of feathers.

Invitation - Hand-written invitations get you into a ball.

King Cake - A traditional Carnival season cake that contains a small plastic baby and is typically decorated with purple, green and gold icing or sprinkles. The person who receives the slice with the baby inside is crowned "king" and, according to tradition, buys the next cake or throws the next party

Krewe - Carnival organizations that a organize Mardi Gras parade, hold a ball, and have Mardi Gras celebrations as their central purpose. The Mistick Krewe of Comus coined the word in 1857.

Lundi Gras - Fat Monday, the day before Fat Tuesday.

Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday. Also known as hours 72 to 96 of that day's party.

Samedi Gras - Fat Saturday, the Saturday prior to Fat Teusday.

Second Line - Second lines are traditional New Orleans brass band parades held by benevolent societies and social aid and pleasure clubs, or for funeral processions. The "first" or "main" line of a parade consists of the people who are an integral part of the procession – club members or, in the case of a funeral, the family of the deceased. Originally, the "second line" referred to people who joined the procession to follow the music, but the term is now used to refer to the frequent parades staged almost year-round in New Orleans.

Throws - Trinkets thrown by krewes during parades, including colorful strands of plastic beads, toys, doubloons, plastic cups, and stuffed animals.