Below:
REX, King of Carnival, Mardi Gras
REX has reigned as King of Carnival since he first appeared on Mardi Gras
in 1872. Seven generations of New Orleanians and millions of visitors have
hailed his majesty and reveled in the glorius traditions of his rule -
Including the jewel in REX's crown: His annual glittering procession of
floats on Mardi Gras morning, led by his captains and Lieutenants on
horseback. (source; From
REXcarnival.com)
The Rex Procession has been the highlight of Mardi Gras day since the Rex
Organization was formed and first paraded in 1872. While there had been
celebrations in many forms on Mardi Gras before that time, the Rex Parade
gave a brilliant daytime focus to the festivities, and provided a perfect
opportunity for Rex, King of Carnival, to greet his city and his subjects.
The Rex Procession today is true to the long tradition of rich themes,
elegant design, and floats built with traditional materials and designs. Most
of Rex's floats are built on old wooden wagons with wood-spoked wheels.
In recent years the theme and design of the parade have been suggested
in advance of the parade with the publication of Parade Bulletins, designed
to give the public a glimpse of what will roll from the Rex Den on Mardi
Gras day.
From Wikipedia:
REX (founded 1872) is a
New Orleans Carnival Krewe which stages the
city's largest parade on
Mardi Gras Day. Rex is
Latin for "
King", and Rex
reigns as "The King of Carnival".
Rex parade float on Napoleon Avenue, mid 1990s
Rex was organized by New Orleans businessmen in part to put on a
spectacle in honor of the New Orleans visit of
Grand Duke Alexei
Alexandrovich of Russia (remembered locally as "Grand Duke Alexis") during
the 1872 Carnival season. Also in the minds of the founders of Rex was
the desire to lure tourism and business to New Orleans in the years after
the
American Civil War.
The Rex parade is put on by an organization called
The School of Design.
One member of the Rex Organization is each year chosen to be the
monarch of the organization; he is often incorrectly referred to by the
(technically redundant) phrase "King Rex". The correct title is simply "Rex".
The identity of Rex is made public on Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi
Gras. Rex is always a prominent person in the city, one who is usually
involved in several philanthropic and civic causes. Being chosen Rex is one
of the highest civic honors a person can receive in New Orleans.[
citation
needed] The Mayor of New Orleans traditionally hands over a symbolic
Key
to the City of New Orleans to Rex for Mardi Gras Day.
A consort is also chosen each year for Rex, and she is titled the "Queen of
Carnival". The queen is always a debutante of the current season. Like
Rex, the queen is chosen in the spring of the previous year, and must
keep her identity secret until Lundi Gras.
While historically restricted to people of
European ancestry for most of its
history, Rex had no trouble complying with the 1991 anti-segregation
ordinances which ended the parades of the
Mistick Krewe of Comus, the
Krewe of Proteus, and the Knights of Momus. The first Rex, businessman
Louis Solomon, was
Jewish, although for a number of years in the early
20th century Rex prohibited entrance into the organization of any new
Jewish members.
~~~
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