Why beads in new orleans

Meanwhile, scientists have been working to create an even more eco-friendly version of the beads—like a biodegradable version made from microalgae. Environmental hazards aside, the beads of Mardi Gras have become as much a holiday staple as Christmas stockings or Thanksgiving turkeys. But the passion and desperate need for them is only temporary; in , 46 tons of the beads were removed from just five blocks of the main parade route on Charles Street.

And no bacchanal should leave that much bad juju behind. Have you got a Big Question you'd like us to answer? If so, let us know by emailing us at bigquestions mentalfloss. But where did all of this excitement start? Why are Mardi Gras beads such an essential part of the Bourbon Street celebration?

These parades typically run throughout the Carnival season, which officially begins on January 6 the Twelfth Night of Christmas. The carnival season ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before the start of Lent. In , a group of businessmen invented a King of Carnival named Rex.

Alongside the people in the parades who were dressed as high-class aristocrats , Rex tossed sugar coated almonds into the crowds. At least, it was in that year when local paper the Times-Democrat observed and documented the "degree of immodesty exhibited by nearly all female masqueraders seen on the streets. The practice also saw a major increase in the '80s and '90s backlash to Women's Lib, y'all! While there's nothing inherently wrong with flashing your boobs if that's your jam, there have been some consequences to the tradition: Women trying to enjoy Mardi Gras sans-flashing have to deal with the creepy drunk guys who now have a "legit" reason to say "Show us your tits.

We feel sad to need to clarify that, but And what about guys who want to score some beads? Well, as one Yahoo commentator points out, they may find their inner diva SOL:. Our rules are in place so they can make more money. It seemed as if the bead workers were treated as mules, with the forces of the market their masters.

In America, the necklaces appear innocent enough, and Mardi Gras revelers seem to love them; in fact, 25 million pounds get distributed each year. Yet they pose a danger to people and the environment. In the s, an environmental scientist named Dr. Howard Mielke was directly involved in the legal efforts to phase out lead in gasoline. Howard mapped the levels of lead in various parts of the city, and discovered that the majority of lead in the soil is located directly alongside the Mardi Gras parade routes, where krewes the revelers who ride on the floats toss plastic beads into the crowds.

By the time Mardi Gras is over, thousands of shiny necklaces litter the streets, and partiers have collectively produced roughly tons of waste — a concoction of puke, toxins and trash. Independent research on beads collected from New Orleans parades has found toxic levels of lead, bromine, arsenic, phthalate plasticizers, halogens, cadmium, chromium, mercury and chlorine on and inside the beads.

From a sociological perspective, leisure, consumption and desire all interact to create a complex ecology of social behavior.