Today is Fat Tuesday- or Mardi Gras- it’s a last hurrah before Lent starts tomorrow. I’ve been in three Krewes and I love the parading and balls that come with the season. I’m not currently in a Krewe since I got tired of the bickering of the women in one of them and I left the other two because they seemed more interested in where my dues were than whether I showed up at an event or not. I’ve been invited to join another one but have been a tad reluctant. I do miss the fun times, though, so I may join again. Who knows.
I don’t do the Lent giving up something thing since I’m a Methodist and we just don’t have that as part of our religious ceremonies. As a teen, our youth group did a 30 pieces of silver thing where we saved silver coins for 30 days and then donated the money to charity. My church has also had several “Foot washing” services where you wash the feet of someone you feel has wronged you and you need to forgive or someone you feel needs a special prayer.
What Mardi Gras/Lent traditions do you have?
Angela Schroeder
Patricia Kiyono
Elaine Cantrell
Jeff Salter
Joselyn
Tonette Joyce
Four Foxes, One Hound 
I had a good friend who was heavily involved with one of the crewes in NW Louisiana. From the bits I heard (from her and others), they began their year right after mardi gras and spent most of the next 12 months building up for the one to follow. Seemed liek there was no let-up in the time, labor, expense, meetings, parties, etc.
None of that appealed to me personally, but I’m not much of a joiner. As (I think) Groucho Marx once said, “I wouldn’t want to be in an organization which would allow me to be a member.” [paraphrased]
The crewes seemed to be very heavy on group activity and I tend to be a rather solitary kind of person, I think.
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depends on the group. I was on the board of one Krewe and we had to meet once a month to plan the ball. That Krewe did not do parades so we had the ball in January and that was in. In the summer, Pensacola celebrates the CITY OF FIVE FLAGS and there is an All-Krewe ball that the city plans and all the krewes show up and present their king and queen to Don Tristan De Luna who is the Spaniard who settled here (or tried to) before the hurricane blew them away. The person who plays De Luna each year pays over $10,000.00 for the honor. To me that’s nuts!
The Krewe I was in that did parades, did the Mardi Gras one, the Christmas one and the Five Flags one. We met to decorate the float and met once a quarter to have a short business meeting so not too bad.
The third one I was in did a ball in January and a new member tea in November so that wasn’t too onerous either. It was fun for a long time until it wasn’t. LOL!
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Oh, yeah,The Husband is CATHOLIC, so am I but… You should see him when he gets his favorite, a homemade ice cream cake for Easter!
Anyway, from what I read above, krewes are organizations that throw parties, do the parades, etc?
Good, get out when the fun stops! That is the only reason to be there in the first place.
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Yes, Krewes are basically party organizations. AND my motto has ALWAYS been “When it’s not fun anymore, I’m gone”
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We don’t do much; my husband does the whole ‘give up chocolate and most goodies, fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, abstain from meat on Fridays’ thing…me, not so much, but I am keen on fish and meatless meals and teach it to people;(blatant plug for my food blog!). I’m on a diet anyway,so…We do it up big for Easter at the end. All the ‘giving up’ does make the foods and festivities more celebratory when it comes.
Wish we had more fun before though. When you get a chance, tell us more about the krewes. I have read a few things that mention them, but Louisiana people always assume the rest of us know, and we are not so privileged…sounds like we miss a lot of fun.
(Jillian, what you have experienced happens in darned near every sort of organization.It is a shame).
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Sounds like you and your husband do a few of the traditions, Tonette. I guess the giving up does make it more celebratory when the time comes but I don’t eat a lot of meat anyway- at least not beef- it’s not my friend at all.
And yeah, sadly, you’re right- it does happen a lot in organizations.
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Lol – had to find out first what Krews are. *rolls eyes* …. yeah, I do the partying thing, but am lousy at the lent tradtion. giving up? Oops, I shouldn’t say it out loud, should i, but there’s not much I give up … *sighs*
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Lol Iris. Love it. I told a client yesterday that I was giving up tequila. Since I don’t drink it anyway, it should be easy. She said she was going to borrow that and do the same since she didn’t either.
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I think I’ll give up tequila too. It’s only 40 days, right? So I’m good for having my margarita for Cinco de Mayo?
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Yep. You’re safe for Cinco!
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I join the group …. I’ll give up tequila too đŸ˜‰ …
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welcome to the group, Iris
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LOL đŸ™‚
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Every year, I keep hoping to find an excuse to participate in Mardi Gras, or at least attend a ball. I was even free the night of the Mall Ball (no krewe membership necessary) except….I just wasn’t feeling it. And after having spent several years in the band, parades can be kind of boring. And as I type all this, I realize I sound like a Mardi Gras Scrooge. I’m not. I just have a lot of other things going.
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I’m kind of a mardi gras scrooge also, Micki. Just can’t seem to get as wound up as everybody else.
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Mardi Gras parades are quite different than the old band days, Micki. I was in marching band as well and we didn’t have a little sumthin, sumthin in our drinks as we threw beads at people when I was in the band. Not sure how you all did it in Jax. LOL! Totally different experience.
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