Mardi Gras history and king cake recommendations

CARVNIVAL TIME MARDI GRAS: The area’s biggest celebration

Crowds vie for beads and other trinkets as the Hercules parade rolls through Houma on

Feb. 14, 2020. [THE COURIER AND DAILY COMET/FILE]

King cakes are one Carnival treat the COVID-19 pandemic has not vanquished this

season. [LOUISIANA OFFICE OF TOURISM]

By Keith Magill and Bill Ellzey

The Courier and Daily Comet

Terrebonne and Lafourche are usually gearing up for Mardi Gras parades this time of year, but state restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 have changed that.

Parades in Lafourche have been canceled this year, while Terrebonne officials and krewe leaders plan to meet in mid-March to determine whether parades can roll at a later date, tentatively in April.

It’s one of the biggest impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the Houma-Thibodaux area’s cultural scene.

Sometimes called the “the greatest free show on Earth,” the two parishes combined boast the biggest Carnival celebration outside Greater New Orleans. An estimated 40,00050,000 people will line the streets for Houma’s biggest parades, clamoring for beads and other trinkets tossed by float riders.

Some 30 local parades usually roll starting two weekends before Mardi Gras and leading to Fat Tuesday, which this year falls on Feb. 16. The annual celebration originated in the calendar of the predominate Catholic Church. It was the last opportunity among the faithful to dance, party, feast and drink before the restrictions of the 40-day Lenten season that starts Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter.

The local Carnival tradition has roots well into the 1800s, when masked balls were common. Parades are mentioned in Houma and Thibodaux newspapers before the 1920s. In 1946, a group of Houma men planned the first parade of the Krewe of Houmas, which rolled on Fat Tuesday 1947. In the years since, a succession of krewes joined the celebration.

That 1947 parade featured a convertible bearing farmer Filhuacon “Tecon” Duplantis, whose irregular homemade parades, beginning in the 1920s, were credited with keeping the tradition alive. Tecon’s unofficial assemblies of decorated sugar-cane wagons and farm animals are not well documented, but they reportedly grew from a few people on foot to some 200 floats drawn by oxen and horses.

In 1955, the Krewe of Chronos of Thibodaux launched its first modern parade with a nod to the very first Thibodaux parade, reportedly in 1914, though that date has not been firmly established.

One local Mardi Gras tradition is edible. The king cake, a ring of yeasty cinnamon bread iced in purple, gold and green Carnival colors, is available at bakeries and groceries. Some ship the desert, complete with a plastic baby. Traditionally, the baby was hidden inside the cake, and whoever got that slice bought the next king cake.

Carnival season always begins Jan. 6, known as King’s Day, Twelfth Night or the Epiphany, the day the Bible says the three kings arrived to see the newborn Jesus. Local bakeries usually start selling king cakes just after Christmas and continue through Mardi Gras. This year, especially, it’s one way to enjoy Carnival without the parades.

6 SUGGESTIONS FOR TASTY LOCAL KING CAKES

Here are a few suggestions for king cakes made locally. While some stores keep a few on hand, it‘s usually best to call ahead to order or check availability. Most offer other varieties and flavors or are willing to custom-make one to order. le king cake won the People‘s Choice award at the 2019 King Cake Festival in New Orleans. Price: $17.99. cannatas.com -- Cajun Pecan House, 14808 W. Main St, Cut Off, 632-2337. Try its Strawberry and Cream Cheese king cake. Price: small $19, medium $26, large $36. cajunpecanhouse.com -- Mr. Ronnie’s Famous Hot Donuts, 1171 West Tunnel Blvd., Houma, 868-9065. The award-winning, deep-fried cake -- like a giant glazed donut -- is covered in the restaurant’s unique, homemade glaze. Price: small $11, large $17.50. Facebook page -- Bertinot’s Best Bakery, 996 W. Tunnel Blvd., Houma, 8726208. Call ahead for the Carnival Chaos king cake, a Bavarian-cream-filled cake with cranberries topped with white chocolate. Price: $25.74. bestbakerykingcakes.com

-- Chez Cake Bakery, 1297 St. Charles St., Houma, 262-4246. Ask for the Rex, a traditional king cake with a house-made cream cheese and raspberry filling, topped with fresh fruit. Price: $35. chezcakebakery.com -- Rouses Markets, various locations. New this year is a savory, Crawfish and Boudin king cake. Price: small $8.99, medium $14.99, large $20.99. rouses.com.