Happy Twelfth Night, aka Kings Day, aka Epiphany, aka the start of Carnival Season!
Did you know Maison Mariann (and co-founder Stacy's home) is located in the birthplace of Mardi Gras in North America? In 1703, French settlers celebrated the first Mardi Gras (again, emphasizing in North America) in Mobile, Alabama. That's right, while New Orleans (home of co-founder Melanie) gets credit for creating the style of revelry most of us have come to think of when we hear the words Mardi Gras, the annual celebrations didn't start in the Crescent City until the 1730s and '40s. Now, cities across the Gulf Coast, from Galveston, Texas to Pensacola, Florida get in on the fun with parades, parties, music and, perhaps most important, King Cake. We've heard there is also a huge Mardi Gras celebration in St. Louis, Missouri. Shout out to y'all for getting in on the fun!
Another fun fact is that Stacy and Melanie are in a Mardi Gras Marching Krewe called The Merry Antoinettes — a group of scandalous party queens who sashay through the French Quarter (and often elsewhere in the city) in a cheeky version of 18th-Century French court attire sipping champagne and throwing cake! (If you aren't familiar with Krewes, they are the private clubs and social groups that organize and stage Carnival parades and balls.)
Which brings us back to Twelfth Night. Traditionally — and according to superstition — Twelfth Night, Jan. 6, is the first time it's "legal" to eat King Cake, the delectable, often sugar-coated brioche pastry associated with Carnival season. (If you eat it out of season, word is all manner of calamities will befall you. We've never tested it and never will.
What does any of this have to do with jewelry? Technically nothing, we'll create any excuse to talk about and eat cake. But — spoiler alert — we are behind the scenes curating our forthcoming Celebrate Mardi Gras Collection! If you aren't already a Maison Mariann Insider, sign up now, so you can get 15 percent off your first purchase and a first look at the collection. Insiders always get to see (and shop) everything before anyone else.
We can't wait to share the Celebrate Mardi Gras Collection with you! Until then, eat King Cake (pairs well with champagne) and laissez les bons temps rouler!
Cheers!
