The History of Mardi Gras Beads

During parades in New Orleans, people shriek and yell, pleading for those fun colored glass beads. Bunches of beads are thrown out towards the crowds during big parades, and the more, the merrier. While the excitement grows as these necklaces are being tossed, has anyone ever wondered, where they came from? Where did these Mardi Gras beads that America has come to love, originate from?

According to an informational article from Slate.com, the celebration of Mardi Gras beads records all the way back to the 1840's. These beads were thrown out as souvenirs to awaiting crowds. The people in these parades dressed as high-class aristocrats and tossed beads and sugar coated almonds. It is believed that the "throwing of the beads" was from the festival customs from the English Renaissance era.

Although, the strung necklace was a parade handout in the 1840's, the glass beads didn't actually arrive as a popular staple in New Orleans until the 1880's. In the Slate article, it stated that the first person in a New Orleans parade to use the beads was a man dressed up as Santa Claus. After that first appearance, the beads became an instant hit. By the year 1900, more than 100,000 tourists traveled to New Orleans for the parade and to witness and be a part of the popular bead tosses.

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