Caps are cone-shaped party hats worn during Mardi Gras and other celebrations. They were originally made to mock aristocratic women’s cone hats. Cajuns wear homemade caps and costumes for the Courir de Mardi Gras. Caps are typically brightly colored and decorated with bells and other decorations.
A cap is a tall, pointed party hat. The caps are shaped like a cone and are traditionally worn during Mardi Gras, the celebration before the first day of Lent during the Catholic holiday season of Easter. The hat is brightly colored and decorated and is often worn with a mask as part of a costume. The cap was used in the first Mardi Gras celebrations in the French countryside. They were made to ridicule the tall cone hats worn by women of the aristocracy.
The name capuchon comes from cappa, the Latin word for the hood of a cape. In 13th century Europe, a hood attached to a short cloak that covered the shoulders was called a capuchon. It is part of the uniform worn by the Capuchin monks who bear his name. The head covering was later lengthened and created with a stiffer fabric for the upper classes.
In southwestern Louisiana, descendants of French Canadian immigrants, called Cajuns, wear hoods and costumes called bonitos for the Courir de Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday Run. It is an event similar to the American version of Halloween where people dress up in masks and costumes to hide their identities, trick-or-treating, and practical jokes. Also, the men ride horses and stop to receive chickens, rice, and okra to make a stew called gumbo for an after party.
Cajun capuchon hats and costumes are typically red, yellow, or green. In New Orleans, Louisiana, Mardi Gras participants often wear caps of purple, green, and gold, the traditional colors of the city’s carnival celebration. At both festivals, the cap usually has a stripe of a contrasting color wound diagonally around the cone, and small bells attached to it that jingle as the wearer moves.
The caps worn by Cajun revelers are often homemade. To make a cap, place a piece of lightweight card stock on a flat surface. Twist it into a cone shape starting at the bottom right corner and test to see if it fits the user’s head. Then glue the seam or secure it with a rubber band. Trim the bottom of the cone so it sits evenly, then staple or glue the edges of the cone.
Choose fabric and twist it around the cone. Make sure the fabric is smooth, then glue it to the cardstock. Tuck the ends of the fabric under the brim of the hat. Trim the hood with fringed fabric along the brim and up the sides to the top. Sequins, pompoms or any other colorful decorations can also be added.
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