The Krewe of Seville
Krewe History

The History of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras came to New Orleans through its French heritage in 1699. Early explorers celebrated this French Holiday on the banks of the Mississippi River. Throughout the years, Orleanians have added to the celebration by establishing krewes (organizations) which host parades and balls. Carnival quickly became an exciting holiday for both children and adults. Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" and of course is celebrated on that day of the week. The date can fall between February 3 and March 9 depending on the Lunar calendar, used by the Catholic Church to determine the date of Easter. Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday.

The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors were chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex. He chose these colors to stand for the following:

Purple represents justice
Green stands for faith
Gold stands for power

The Mardi Gras season begins on January 6 and continues until Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. On the Christian calendar, the twelfth day after Christmas is known as "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or "Kings Day." It is the day the gift-bearing Magi visited the baby Jesus, and is celebrated with its own unique rituals.

The Krewe of Seville first participated in the Pensacola Mardi Gras celebration in 1997. Our Themes and Kings and Queens since that time have been:

Year	Theme	King and Queen
2009	Krewe of Seville Celebrates Pensacola's 450th	King Joe Sharit Queen Sylvia Ammons
2008	Krewe n' Decision, Naughty or Nice	King Darrell Duke Queen Robin Sharit
2007	Pirates of Seville, Krewez'n for Booty	King Art Reinauer Queen Dorothy Dunaway
2006	Krewe in de Nile	King Paul Prat Queen Tracy Johnson
2005	Krewe in Paradise	King Danny Johnson Queen Mary Dickson Quina
2004	Krewe Gone Wild	King Bruce Newman Queen Kelley Harris
2003	Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves	King Mark Brisch Queen Peggy Rozman
2002	Goes Hollywood	King Rodney Dunaway Queen Evelyn Reid
2001	A Space Oydessy	King Keith A. Sims Queen Cathe Foster
2000	Carnival	King Jeff Williams Queen Mary Samaras
1999	Gilligan's Island	King Roger Martinez Queen Elisa Miller
1998	Vegas Elvis	Queen Jennifer Mattair King Bill Strength
1997	Barbers of Seville	King Doug Mitchell Queen Lee Benton