OPINION: Paradegoers should abandon racial stereotypes, page 5 Thomas Galligan named Law Center dean, page 2 lsunow.com/daily
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016
thedailyreveille
@lsureveille
Volume 121 · No. 17
thedailyreveille CRIME
Increased Mardi Gras security expected
BY SARAH GAMARD @SarahGamard
CARNIVAL CUSTOMS NICHOLAS MARTINO / The Daily Reveille
Professors explain time-honored Louisiana Mardi Gras traditions BY ALLYSON SANDERS · @allysanders97
F
lashing body parts for beads is a common sight during certain Mardi Gras parades or a walk down Bourbon Street, but it isn’t anything new. Sociology professor Wesley Shrum said flashing for beads is something more than just drunken behavior — it is a method of celebration he calls “ritual disrobement,” or the negotiated exchange of nudity for beads during Mardi Gras celebrations. Shrum says this tradition began in the mid-1970s with nudists in New Orleans who wanted to share their method of celebration with others. The
nudists exposed themselves on balconies during parades to catch and throw beads. It caught on, and by 1980, ritual disrobement developed into the form practiced by men and women today. “This is interestingly not drunken behavior … the ritual is more structured than that,” Shrum said. “There are certain kinds of things that are okay to do, and there are certain kinds of possibilities, and you get to innovate within those possibilities.” While ritual disrobement is still common in New Orleans today, some Cajun Country traditions are practiced.
English professor Carolyn Ware said Mardi Gras runs, or Courir de Mardi Gras, are among the most unique and oldest Mardi Gras traditions. Mardi Gras runs are part of a Cajun tradition that includes a group of “runners,” or masked men and women, who dress in elaborate, brightly colored costumes, topped with a distinctive capuchon, or tall, pointy hat. The runners stop at houses in the community and give a performance, such as a traditional French song, a dance or pranks. They end the performance by asking for something to include in a
community gumbo. Ware said has the practice roots in Europe, when Acadians from France and Canada probably brought it to Louisiana. The Acadians likely used it as a fun way to share food with the community during times of scarcity. The Mardi Gras runs are a rare occurrence these days, but one rooted in hundreds of years of Cajun tradition in southwest Louisiana. “It’s a way of building a sense of community,” Ware said. “I think they do it today because it’s an important part
see TRADITION, page 8
T
he major Mardi Gras celebrations gearing up this weekend are expecting warm weather, an influx of tourists and increased surveillance following recent global terrorist attacks. Mardi Gras goers can expect to be monitored by the police more than ever before. “Assume you are being filmed wherever you are and whatever you are doing,” said New Orleans FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Sallet in a Jan. 19 press conference, according to a report by NOLA.com | The Times Picayune. All New Orleans police officers will be working during Mardi Gras season, and deputies and officers from other departments, such as Tulane University’s, will be joining them. The FBI assigned about 100 agents for Mardi Gras security and plans to monitor social media networks for potential terrorist threats. Officers plan to use “behavioral detection,” which the Huffington Post described as “staring into crowds of people in an attempt to identify suspicious behavior.”
see SAFETY, page 8 STUDENT LIFE
Students look forward to first Mardi Gras experience BY BETH CARTER @bethie_carter
W
ith Carnival season kicking into full gear, younger outof-state and international students are looking forward to their first Mardi Gras in Louisiana. Many Mardi Gras first-timers only know either the X-rated Bourbon St. horror stories or nothing at all. The real history of Mardi Gras remains unknown to some students. Louisiana has been
celebrating Mardi Gras since the 1730s, and the first Mardi Gras krewe, the Mystic Krewe of Comus, was founded in 1856. Since then, Mardi Gras has remained Louisiana’s largest tourist attraction, generating around $20 million in tax revenues for the city of New Orleans alone. Claire Duncan, an architecture and anthropology freshman from Augusta, Georgia, said her first Mardi Gras experience was a carnival ball for the Krewe of Olympia in Covington on Jan. 16. Duncan said she didn’t know how carnival balls oper-
ated, and the ball exceeded her expectations. “I expected it to be just like prom ... but I had no idea there would be a grown-up man dressed up with full makeup and jewels and a crown and everything,” Duncan said. Duncan said she is looking forward to Mardi Gras because she wants to experience Louisiana’s culture in its entirety. She said she’s most looking forward to the parades and her goal is to catch a painted coconut from the Krewe of Zulu, an all-African American parade that runs on
Mardi Gras day and hands out painted coconuts to the crowd. Chemical engineering freshman and Alaska native David Morris didn’t know how large a celebration Mardi Gras actually is in New Orleans and throughout the state. “I thought it was just a parade that people went to one weekend,” Morris said. “I didn’t know it was a recognized holiday that all of Louisiana took part [in].” For international students, Louisiana Mardi Gras culture is even more foreign. Tom Lee, a chemistry junior from
Harpenden,England, said he didn’t know anything about Mardi Gras besides the stereotypical partying. Lee said he’s looking forward to seeing New Orleans in a new light compared to the rest of the year. “I didn’t know much — lots of parties on the street and big floats and lots of beads,” said Lee. “I’m looking forward to experiencing something unique.” Industrial engineering freshman Mariana de Oliveira
see FIRST, page 8