Inside Northside Magazine's December/January 2005 Issue

Royal Favors

A traditional Carnival ball has only one queen, but every woman who is a special guest feels like royalty.

Long-established customs are still honored by the oldest Carnival organizations, or krewes. Although a woman may attend several balls during Mardi Gras season, each separate ball carries with it its own magic.

It begins with the arrival of her formal invitation, elegantly hand-addressed in a script that almost appears to have been engraved. A separate enclosure, known as a call-out, tells her that she will participate in the evening’s dancing: She is assigned a particular seat in the ballroom so that a committee member, an aide to the krewe, can locate her for her masked dance partners by “calling out” her name.

The pageantry of the ball, centered on the presentation of the king, his queen and their royal court, creates an air of enchantment. She joins the other female guests, all in floor-length gowns–and often wearing traditional elbow-length white kid gloves–who are seated in a gallery around the procession area.

Adding to the mystique are the masked-and-costumed krewe members, with brightly colored satin bags hanging from their wrists. After she dances with the masker who has called her out, he reaches into the depths of the bag for a festively wrapped gift and presents it to her. The bags hold a variety of treasures. Most coveted among these is the traditional krewe favor, selected to honor the theme of the evening.

Long after the ball is over, and the white kid gloves have yellowed, the gifts and favors remain, reminders of a night when every woman felt like a queen.




		Royal Favors



		A traditional Carnival ball has only one queen, but every woman who is a special guest feels like royalty. Long-established customs are still honored by the oldest Carnival organizations, or krewes. Although a woman may attend several balls during Mardi Gras season, each separate ball carries with it its own magic. It begins with the arrival of her formal invitation, elegantly hand-addressed in a script that almost appears to have been engraved. A separate enclosure, known as a call-out, tells her that she will participate in the evening’s dancing: She is assigned a particular seat in the ballroom so that a committee member, an aide to the krewe, can locate her for her masked dance partners by “calling out” her name. The pageantry of the ball, centered on the presentation of the king, his queen and their royal court, creates an air of enchantment. She joins the other female guests, all in floor-length gowns–and often wearing traditional elbow-length white kid gloves–who are seated in a gallery around the procession area. Adding to the mystique are the masked-and-costumed krewe members, with brightly colored satin bags hanging from their wrists. After she dances with the masker who has called her out, he reaches into the depths of the bag for a festively wrapped gift and presents it to her. The bags hold a variety of treasures. Most coveted among these is the traditional krewe favor, selected to honor the theme of the evening. Long after the ball is over, and the white kid gloves have yellowed, the gifts and favors remain, reminders of a night when every woman felt like a queen.

		Copyright 2004, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.