noun
Street Slang
flambeaux
· noun · nola
Lit torches carried by walkers in nighttime Mardi Gras parades.
0
Definitions
1
Whirling kerosene torches twirled by walkers alongside night parades like Le Krewe d'Etat and Hermes. Originally a practical fix — Black men were paid pennies and tossed coins to light the route before electric lights — now a kept tradition that's pure spectacle. Tip the flambeaux carriers.
“The flambeaux spinning past the oaks on St. Charles is the most New Orleans thing you'll ever see.”
by community
0
flambeaux In A Sentence
The flambeaux spinning past the oaks on St. Charles is the most New Orleans thing you'll ever see.
Origin & Usage
French for 'torches.' New Orleans flambeaux date to the 1850s, originally carried by enslaved and later free Black men to illuminate Carnival's night parades.
Variants
flambeau
Comments 0