A Brief History Of New Orleans Flor De Lis

Publié par Unknown on vendredi 12 septembre 2014

By Jody Leach


It's Spring in the Crescent City. Soon, the New Orleans Flor de lis will be making its annual appearance at events throughout the city. Representative of Mardi Gras and the onset of Spring, the symbol holds a number of meanings. In fact, it can represent religions, symbolic, artistic, emblematic and political groups and organizations. Originally brought to the United States from the Netherlands, the design remained has similar, yet different.

A variety of colors and versions of the symbol have been used in New Orleans over the years. One of the biggest events in which most of these amazing symbols are present are the many Mardi Gras parades. There are also other events like the French Quarter Festival and Jazz Fest in which many of these symbols can be seen on high flying flags and other items.

Often recognized a universal code or symbol, it actually did derive from a time before it was known in the United States. The earliest usage certainly appears to be related to royalty. While the original design rumored to have been used to anoint kings was from the Netherlands, it appears to have experienced some transition since that time.

Many French Canadians immigrated from this area to the United States. Also known as French or Franks, these individuals brought forth and introduced the symbol to New Orleans. The Iris also looks like the American flor de lis because of its yellow color and shape. To distinguish between the two, the one in the Netherlands has white petals that bend down too when the flower blooms.

In the late 13th century, a poem by Guillaume de Nangis shows how the golden flowers on a ground of azure were magically substituted for crescents on a shield. While originally attributed to Clovis, it has since been used to symbolize all Frankish kings who subscribed to the Christian religion, with the most notorious being Charlemagne.

It is believed that its truest origins with monarchs of France may stem from baptisms in which lilies were used in the crowning of King Clovis I. The symbol was adopted by the French Monarchy as a royal coat of arms symbol of purity upon the king's convergence. As with most symbols, legends enhance the mystique through the reported use of holy oils and other aspects which might be considered occult as well as religious in nature.

While most likely, the symbol was provided as a coat of arms, one legend tells of an angel who came down from Heaven and anointed a king. This is most likely also where the legend and tradition of the King's Cake during Mardi Gras was derived. As such, it would appear that most people believe in the relation of the symbol to kings, as to whether angels or other mystical aspects were involved in its origination remains in question.

During the 14th century, French writers asserted that the time of the Monarch could be traced back to the time a divine gift of royal arms was provided to a King. As with other symbols, there are a number of other legends and myths associated with the colors and symbols used in each Flor de lis. When it comes to its uses in the City of New Orleans, it is one that holds a number of different meaning whether resident or tourist.




About the Author:



{ 0 commentaires... read them below or add one }

Enregistrer un commentaire

AddThis