PORCH PARADE
Galveston Historic District homes celebrate Mardi Gras
Cheerful masks, mounds of beads, garland and bunting in swaths of purple, green and gold hang from houses throughout Galveston’s historic districts, as the island celebrates Mardi Gras the only way it can during a pandemic: from the safety of its front porches.
Galveston is known for its laid-back lifestyle, sandy beaches and family-friendly spring break, but it’s also a popular place to celebrate Mardi Gras, a partydriven holiday rooted in Christian rituals.
In healthier years, elaborate parades with colorful floats, marching bands and strings of beads flying through the air flow through the historic district and along The Strand. Black-tie balls draw a well-heeled crowd. And homeowners everywhere host their own parties that feel like they last a whole weekend.
The coronavirus pandemic has canceled Mardi Gras celebrations worldwide, but many Galvestonians — where the event would have been celebrated Feb. 5-16 — aren’t ready to let a pandemic keep them from having at least a little bit of fun.
Not long after Christmas lights and decorations were put away for the season, owners of homes throughout the East End Historic District pulled out boxes full of purple, green and gold decorations. And just as many upped their outdoor displays a notch for the Yule season, they’re decking out for Mardi Gras.
“We really went all out at Christmas. We said, ‘You know, this year more than any other year we need to do even more,’ ” said Susan Alexander-Clarke, a longtime Houstonian who has had a home in Galveston for a decade. “People’s spirits are down, everyone’s sick, and we’re ready for something happy. When things like a pandemic come around, you have
to reinvent and use your creativity.”
So Alexander-Clarke and others who are used to decorating their homes’ exteriors for Mardi Gras weren’t about to let canceled festivities keep them from having their own fun.
Similarly, in New Orleans — where Mardi Gras has been celebrated for more than 300 years — the krewes that exist to party and build parade floats have channeled their energy instead into decorating homes this year. (Check out Krewe of House Floats on Facebook.)
Despite its reputation for drinking and dancing in the streets, Mardi Gras finds itself in the middle of a calendar of religious events. Carnival celebrations begin after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day, and end with Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday.
Historically, Shrove Tuesday was celebrated as a way to empty the larder in anticipation of Lent, 40 days of fasting, spiritual reflection and penitence. In a sense, the excesses of Mardi Gras are intended to remove temptations — rich fatty foods — before Lent, which starts Ash Wednesday, the day after Shrove Tuesday/Fat Tuesday/ Mardi Gras.
In Galveston, they’re preparing for a week of fun, despite the weather.
If it’s warm enough, Sharon and Jim Thompson said they’ll be out on their front porch to wave to passersby.
The Thompsons lived in Houston and The Woodlands for many years and moved to their historic home — built in 1873 — in Galveston two years ago. As February approached, Sharon Thompson had a friend make a pair of wreaths for her front doors, and she added banners and flags to the porch and lights, beads and a wreath on her front fence.
“I will buy more Mardi Gras decorations as it goes along; we just haven’t been here that long,” Thompson said. “A lot of people take decorations off of their Christmas trees
and put Mardi Gras decorations on the trees as soon as Christmas is over.”
They’re missing some of the fun they’ve had the past couple of years, though.
“The effect (of coronavirus) this year is that nobody’s getting together or having parties. Usually everyone is laughing and visiting and coming and going to see the parade.
Then they come back and eat and drink more,” Thompson said. “It’s very different this year. Now it’s a solitary event.”
The Thompsons’ nextdoor neighbors — Alexander-Clarke and her husband, Robert — decorate their historic home, the August Henck House built in 1897, for holidays, including Mardi Gras.
“It’s such a Galveston
thing and such a special event. We always decorate and have fun inside and out,” Alexander-Clarke said. “I’ve collected pieces over the years and love to display and share them with the community outside.”
She has noticed more people outside walking for the exercise and fresh air, and these days they’re pausing to take in the festive decorations.
“We’ve said, ‘What can we do to make it more fun if people want to stop and take a picture?’ ” she said. “It’s nice to have that connection. As isolated as we are, we’re connecting in
new ways and those ways are even more impactful. We have to put in extra effort.”
Helen Stroud and her husband, Dan, a retired heart surgeon, are Louisiana natives but prefer the family-friendly nature of Galveston’s Mardi Gras events.
Usually, the Strouds plan a big party with lots of food, a bar in the front yard, live music and a couple of horse-drawn carriages to take guests to and from the parade. She has a purple, green and gold tulle skirt she wears for the event, and even her Shetland sheepdogs have
special costumes. That will all have to wait until next year.
Despite rain and cold, Alexander-Clarke said she will make the most of this weekend, celebrating her own way.
“We have a lot of beads on the iron fence, and it’s all lit so it will shiver and shine at night. We have quite a bit going on out there,” she said. “Our porch is raised, but we’ll be up there giving out beads. We’ll see how that goes — I don’t have the greatest arm on me for pitching beads.”