Carnival, which means "Fat Tuesday" in French, is a special day for Christians to get all the "naughty" behavior out of their systems before heading to church the next day - possibly for the night. Drunk as Hell – Marking Lent with Ash Wednesday. For those who celebrate Lent, Carnival is a healthy way to exorcise inner demons. One of the most notoriously evil traditions? Bourbon Street shimmers with beads. But when — and how exactly — did this so-called tradition begin?
Although the celebration of Mardi Gras dates back to ancient Rome—and we all know how people party—it's still relatively new to the United States. Mardi Gras did not become an official holiday in Louisiana until 1875, but there is evidence that Mardi Gras was celebrated as early as 1699, when French explorers named the riverbank where New Orleans is today "Mardi Gras Point." (If only they knew what was going to happen.)
Even if your knowledge of Mardi Gras is limited, you probably know some important traditions. Of course, there are floats, masks, and Zulu coconuts, and if you get one at Mardi Gras, it's like receiving a pound of hydrating gold.
Perhaps the most famous tradition is the throwing of beads from a float. As International Business Times explains:
The tradition of tossing beads begins with its original color. The color of the beads was decided by the king of the first daytime carnival in 1872. He wanted the colors to be royal - purple for justice, gold for strength and green for faith. The idea is to throw colors at people who demonstrate the color's meaning.
Beading is a great time and it really makes an outfit more beautiful. So how do you get today's green, gold, and purple beads? You "earn" them with your boobs, haha. That's right; ladies, show them your knockers and voila ! Just like in real life, your breasts can solve any problem you may have.
If you thought women showing off their breasts during Mardi Gras was a relatively new phenomenon, you'd be wrong. This bill—and I use the word “bill” here because anyone who has lived in NOLA for a long time will tell you that this is not a long-standing tradition—actually probably dates back to 1889. At least that was the year the local newspaper The Times published an article. -The Democrat observed and documented "the degree of immodesty displayed by nearly every female pretender seen on the street." Maybe they were just crushed.
It wasn't until the 1970s that the practice of glittering beads truly became mainstream ( the women's liberation movement, y'all! ). By 1999, the practice had become so hallowed that we saw classic movies like "Girls: Carnival Madness."
While there's nothing inherently wrong with showing off your breasts if you like to show them off, the tradition has had some consequences: Women who want to enjoy a carnival without showing off have to deal with those creepy drunken Han, they now have a “legitimate” reason to say “let’s see your boobs.” As my friend Melanie, who has lived in New Orleans for almost 10 years, told me, “Mardi Gras in New Orleans after dark "It can be a scary place for a woman to be - especially when she's alone."
Something to keep in mind when celebrating Mardi Gras is that locals don't consider flashing beads to be a tradition, so, obviously, you don't have to feel pressured to do it. What about those who want to obtain beads? Well, as a Yahoo! Commentators noted that they might find their inner heroine SOL:
You could try to earn beads by taking off your pants on Bourbon Street, but you'd get arrested by the police. They don't tolerate this kind of behavior from men, and unless you like being locked up until Ash Wednesday, I suggest you don't do it. You can catch a large number of beads from the balcony by asking (it helps not to wear a large number of beads), or of course you can get them in the parade.
Okay, then. All you have to do is ask.
