LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) - Lafayette Mardi Gras throws come in all shapes and sizes. Cups takeover cupboards, beads find a new home in trees, and unique throws are displayed proudly at home and work.
Last year, some of the ornate throws included wood doubloons and one-of-a-kind polymedallions. There are some unique items to keep an eye out for during this Mardi Gras season. Some throws are specific to a krewe, others are born out of tradition.
- Krewe de Canailles Throws
Courir de Mardi Gras, rural Cajun Mardi Gras, comes from medieval French lifestyle. With the beginning of spring came fête de la quémande, the feast of begging. To mock the wealthy classes, peasants wore miters and pointed hats, then begged and danced for items to eat.
At some point the roles reversed and those in the parade started handing out food. Krewe de Canailles secretary Leah Graeff remembers being handed sweet potatoes during Mardi Gras in her hometown of Sunset.
Through the years, throws turned into trinkets. However, Canailles has returned to the idea of handing out items that can be used or recycled. Salt dough, wood, paper and reclaimed plastics make up the majority of the trinkets’ materials.
Instead of plastic doubloons, wood coins are stamped with local artists’ designs. Abalone and sea shells are used in place of glitter. Last year, they even threw bags of Evangeline Maid hot dog buns.
“People do use plastic. There’s stuff with glitter on it,” Graeff said. “But it has to be handmade. So if it’s not like eco-friendly, it has to be something that’s handmade.”
The term “throws” doesn’t apply to the trinkets the krewe makes. Nothing is thrown during their walking parade; each gift is handed to someone in the crowd. The parade members even go so far as to gift trinkets based on the person they’re handing it to.
“I walk up to you and I’m like, ’I want you to have this.’ So people feel a lot more connection,” Graeff said. “It’s a little more special because it’s like, ’Whoa, this person in this big costume is coming up to me. What are they doing? And oh my God, they have a gift for me.’”
Canailles sees itself as a low-key version of Zulu or Muses in New Orleans, where the throws are handmade and hard to obtain. The crowd is there for the experience of the costumes and floats, not the throws.
- Krewe of Victoria Throws
On Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras beads are removed, packed up and placed on anything with an edge. This practice happens with the penitential season of Lent.
Krewe of Victoria throws thousands of beads every year. Along with those beads come plush throws.
Krewe of Victoria didn’t skip a beat with their rose throws. The krewe’s original queen Sally Burnett said they started throwing plush roses in 1994 with their first parade. The krewe decided on roses because of Queen Victoria’s love for them. There are even a few roses named after the British royalty.
The stuffed, thorn-free roses are nicer to catch than a pile of beads to the face. But beads are still a crowd favorite, especially beads with krewe medallions.
- Krewe of Rio Throws
In 2016, one of the most colorful krewes took it to the next level. They added maracas.
Rio was inspired by New Orleans krewes and their highly sought after throws - Muses’ shoe, Carrollton’s rubber boot, Nyx’s purse, and Zulu’s coconut.
The krewe felt the maracas were a perfect representation for the Krewe of Rio parade due to the Brazilian influence. The painting, gluing and glittering of the maracas start the summer before Mardi Gras so they can be ready for the upcoming parade.
More than 3,000 custom maracas have been made in past years. This sounds like a lot, but you might want to practice your best “Hey mister, throw me somethin’” yell.
- Krewe of Apollo Throws
Gifts being tossed into a crowd started in the early 1870s by the Twelfth Night Revelers, a group that paraded around the streets of New Orleans before attending their private soiree.
Sweet treats were flung into the onlookers by a costumed Santa in 1872 following the Revelers “Mother Goose’s Tea Party” themed parade.
In 1884, Krewe of Rex took it to the next level. They started using medallions instead of trinkets, similar to today’s doubloons. These pieces, depicting the parade theme on one side and the krewe’s emblem on the other, have become collectors items.
Local krewes, like Apollo, also create personalized beads with polymedallions on them. These signature throws have the krewes yearly theme on them. Past years have been Lights, Camera, Apollo in 2018 and Cirque d’Apollo in 2015.
Being a mystic krewe, this years theme is still unknown. But captain Darrell Fruge gave insight into the process. Once the captain has picked a theme for the ball, he sits down with a local graphic designer or artist, and works on bringing the theme to life.
Once colors are selected and the final artwork is developed, a mold is created and krewe members can purchase the emblems as keepsakes or gifts.
A few krewe members buy extra medallions to handout during the ball and parade. But throws for the parade are left up to krewe members, meaning not every float rider has the prized possession.
If you’re not able to catch a medallion at the ball, try again at the parade.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.