Masons and Mardi Gras: Secret Origins of the Mystic Krewes (English Edition) [Kindle-editie] beoordelingen het boek quotes

PART II of a three part series on Mardi Gras in the nineteenth century "Masons and Mardi Gras" unravels the mysterious rituals and symbols of the Freemasons and reveals how they influenced the mystic traditions of the first parading societies. The Cowbellion de Rakin society that was created in Mobile was the first secretive parading fraternity in America but their New Year's Eve parades became so popular, they soon spread to New Orleans, where similar parades were held on "Fat Tuesday," or Mardi Gras. But Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans were not organized with the same rituals and traditions as those in Mobile until the year 1857, when the Krewe of Comus became the first Mardi Gras Krewe, taking the structure of the "mystic" parade and private ritual-oriented fraternity from Mobile and presenting it on Mardi Gras. Like the Cowbellions, Comus was renowned across the country for its splendor and extravagance. It was a form of public entertainment that overwhelmed the senses like no other at the time. But the men who led these organizations also realized other benefits of membership and used them to build social status and secure their wealth in this precarious commercial economy. Some, in fact, used the secrecy and political leverage they gained through their mystic societies to cover the private schemes for power and plot for secession and war.