THE KREWES OF MOORE COUNTY

New Orleans has been celebrating Mardi Gras almost since the city was founded in 1718. By the late 1830s there were street processions of horse drawn carriages, gaslight torches and masked members of what would become a growing number of carnival societies, the forerunners of today’s krewes. Masked celebrants reveled in their anonymity, no longer bound by social strata. They were free to be whoever they wanted to be and to mingle with whoever they wanted to mingle. With each succeeding year, its krewes and parades, its magic and mystery, grew. The Mardi Gras colors — purple, gold and green — stood for justice, power and faith. If you’ve ever seen a jazz funeral in the French Quarter, you know that no place on Earth handles tragedy and loss the way they do in New Orleans. While the krewes of Moore County may not be parading through the French Quarter, they can be there in spirit.