MARDI GRAS GUIDE 2020 171

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Led by the captain on horseback, the 230 men of Proteus present an old-line parade featuring 34 riding lieutenants and 48 fl ambeaux. Royal Artists constructed the

fl oats on chassis that date from the 1880s. The third fl oat is a replica of the 1882 king’s fl oat. The identity of the gentleman who portrays Proteus is never revealed to the public, but his magnifi cent seashell fl oat is one of the most distinctive in Carnival. The theme of the 20-fl oat procession is FEASTS AND LIBATIONS. Float titles include Absinthe, Feasts of Fools, and Delicacies of the Deep. Marching units such as the U.S. Ma-rine Band, U.S. Marine Mounted Color Guard, and the Warren Easton Charter High School Band will participate in the 2020 procession on Lundi Gras. The krewe’s most collectible throws are LED fl ambeaux and LED plush trident crowns. The men also toss silver and red doubloons called “sovereigns.”

ORPHEUS

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BEASTLY KINGDOMS OF ORPHEUS is the theme of Orpheus’s 2020 pro-cession. The krewe of 1,500 male and female members will ride 38 fl oats with

subjects such as The Cockatrice, The Tree Wyrm, and The Bridge Troll. Legendary among Orpheus’s fl oats are the Leviathan, Trojan Horse, and the Smokey Mary eight-tandem fl oat, which holds 230 riders. Every fl oat is covered in beautifully designed fl ow-ers, which make the Orpheus parade unique. Sixty old-line fl ambeaux will light the route. This year’s most collectible throws are special 2.5-inch gold Music Legend (Art Neville) doubloons. Other throws include Orpheus collapsible water bottles, LED ram horns, plush gardenias, glitter Orpheus masks, and an array of LED beads. The 27th an-nual Orpheuscapade, post-parade celebration, is held in the Ernest N. Morial Conven-tion Center. Bryan Cranston, Charlie Day, Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Lauren Alaina will reign as Orpheus 2020 monarchs.

Founded in 1881, Proteus is Carnival’s second-oldest parading organization. Proteus served as herdsman of Poseidon’s seals and was known in Greek mythology as the shepherd of the ocean. The old man of the sea possessed the gift of prophecy and could change shape at will. From its fi rst procession, Proteus has presented elaborate parades and tableau balls. In 1893, the men introduced the custom of “call-outs,” a method whereby ball maskers invite ladies in attendance to dance. After retiring from the parade scene from 1993 to 1999, Proteus made a triumphant return in 2000, when it became the fi rst krewe to parade in three different centuries.

The organizers of the Krewe of Orpheus wanted to give New Orleans a third consecutive parade in the tradition of Endymion and Bacchus. They succeeded, making history in 1994 by rolling with 700 members. The group chose Orpheus, the son of the Greek muse Calliope, as its namesake in tribute to the musical heri-tage of the founders of the club, including Harry Connick Jr. The krewe’s Leviathan fl oat was the fi rst to use fi ber-optic light-ing. Anne Rice, Whoopi Goldberg, Sandra Bullock, Glenn Close, Quentin Tarantino, and Gary Sinese are just a few of the celebrities to have appeared in Orpheus. www.kreweoforpheus.com

PROTEUS