Jet Set Restaurant Reading, Pennsylvania Menus!: Come to the Largest Mardi Gras Party in Town! This Thursday @ Jet Set Restaurant. 118 South 9th St. Reading For Info: 215-650-3587 --------------------- The Tradition of Mardi Gras Throws Dates Way Back and Will Surprise You If you ask the question, "When did the tradition of throws actually begin?", you are bound to get a different answer from each person asked. Some say that the tradition of tossing baubles to the crowd dates back to the nineteenth century, when a rider whose custom was that of Santa Claus had the idea to pass out trinkets just as his character could be expected to do. Others say it began in the 1920's. These same people will tell you that the first throw was actually flour that would be tossed by the handful onto the unsuspecting crowd of parade watchers. No matter the origins of this tradition, today it is part and parcel of the Mardi Gras experience. Every year millions of colorful beads in just about every conceivable arrangement rain down on the expectant crowds gathered to watch and participate in the Mardi Gras parades. Probably the most notable and well-recognized throws today are these beaded necklaces, however there is a wide range of what is considered a prize throw. Most Krewes today, toss doubloons and cups as well. These are imprinted with the name of the Krewe, that year's theme and the date. Outrageous things are sometimes done in the name of catching prize throws. The theory is that the more pleasing the display is to the float riders, the more likely they will be to toss one of the better throws. Because some societies are all male or all female, one has only to use the imagination to figure out what some women may bare to get the attention of the riders in an all male society. A caveat is needed here, as this is baring of normally clothed body parts can and has landed many a young female in the slammer. That being said, many people use other creative methods to get the attention of riders on the floats. Some dress in costumes, that of a priest being a favorite in New Orleans. Others devise ingenuous contraptions in order to snare the most throws. These usually take the form of various types of netting which are then raised into the air in order to gather in as many throws as possible. Because some members of these parading societies tend to ingest a copious quantity of alcohol before and during the parade, it can be noted that the more inebriated a rider becomes, the greater the amount of throws he will sling out to the crowd at any given moment. Confetti used to be a popular throw but was banned early in the twentieth century because it had a tendency to get lodged in the eyes of the parade watchers. Today, many things are used as throws. These range from Frisbee's to stuffed animals. Male riders many times buy long stemmed silk roses and hand them over to the beautiful damsels in the crowd. Because riders are masked, women particularly enjoy receiving the roses, as they find this a highly romantic gesture, heightened by the hidden identity of the rider. Ronnie Tanner is a contributing writer at Toomey's Mardi Gras. He writes about Mardi Gras Masks and other industry specific topics.