One question that is asked over and over by the new participants, every year is:

 What is a Mystic Society?

First things first, In Mobile, please don't call them Krewes or Crewe, they're known as Mystic Societies. While they will not correct you, they'll instantly know you're not from Mobile!

Well the technically correct answer to that question is


Mystic Society (krewe) (also known as a Crewe in Mobile)     (In New Orleans these groups are known as Krewes)

Any of several groups with often hereditary* membership whose members organize and participate as costumed participants in the float parades, and balls, in the annual Mardi Gras Carnival in Mobile, Ala: example “They . . . watched a parade of bands and elaborately styled floats run by Mystic Societies throwing necklaces of colored beads and moon pies” (Robert Reinhold).

* Even Today in Mobile,  you can not just join one of the old style Mystic organizations without being a hereditary pledge, or being invited to do so. Some Orgs have just now begun to accept applications year around, while others still limit membership to certain periods, and still certain people. By that , yes I mean blacks or other minorities, need not apply! One note here: These groups are very private, and hold their proceedings in a very secret fashion. They do not mean to practice racial discrimination and go above and beyond to stamp it out! Race is not the major determining factor in your acceptance or denial into any society, but this is not to say that it doesn't figure at all, because it does! To explain it, ..... Mobilians, feel that it falls to them to protect their heritage in these clubs, and it really doesn't matter if you are black, white, green or blue, if you don't have the right pedigree, you're not getting in! Even though the film, "Order of the Myths" attempted to portray it as racism, if you know the history of the city, you can better understand from where the uppercrust are trying to come! One more word, as said before, for a vast majority of the people here, racism doesn't really figure into it, but for some boneheads, it is exactly what attracts them into the societies, for those, I am not covering their intentions which is why this line was placed into the page!

[Alteration of crew1.]

Regional Note: In order to organize and stage the enormous Mardi Gras carnival every year, many Mobile families have belonged for generations to these societies, groups that create elaborate costumes and floats for the many Mardi Gras parades in the three weeks leading up to “Fat Tuesday.” Not only do the groups participate in the parades, but, as leaders of Mobile society, they also hold balls and other elaborate events during the carnival season, which lasts from Christmas up to Mardi Gras itself. The societies of Mobile Mardi Gras practice masking in their parades and  had for a long time. They were the first carnival groups organized, and in fact,  went to New Orleans  to found the Mystick Krewe of Comus in 1857. Thanks to their association with Mardi Gras and Mobile high society, their continued secrecy has taken on and intensified some of the mystique of the carnival.

Also see " What is Mardi Gras ? "    and   " What is a Krewe ? "

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