Beads, boudain, and booze, oh my! That was Mardi Gras "season" and Fat Tuesday in Lafayette. I couldn’t find a local to tell me why beads are thrown so I looked it up online.
The tradition of throws (the beads) dates back to the 1920s. Each parade is put on by a krewe, and according to Hardy (quoted in the article), the Rex krewe began thetradition of throws by tossing out inexpensive necklaces of glass beads. The beads were an instant hit and were soon adopted by all the parading krewes, of which there are about 60 (in New Orleans) today.
The glass beads of the early throws were imported from Czechoslovakia and Japan. Today the plastic throws are manufactured mostly in China.
And for those of you who want to know what boudain is, it’s a tasty “sausage” made of a pork rice dressing and stuffed into pork casings. It’s a traditional Cajun cuisine and quite tasty.
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I love your blog.It is a great way for to keep up with you.
marsha t. holmes
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