<P> An account from 1743 notes that the custom of holding Carnival balls was established by that date, during the time when Bienville was governor . On Mardi Gras, there were masques and processions in the streets of the city, although they were, at times, prohibited by law . The celebrations were quickly resumed whenever restrictions were lifted or the enforcement of them was lax . In 1833, Bernard Xavier de Marigny de Mandeville, a rich plantation owner, raised the money to fund an official Mardi Gras celebration . </P> <P> On Mardi Gras of 1857 the Mistick Krewe of Comus held its first parade . Comus is the oldest continuously active Mardi Gras organization . It originated a number of traditions that continue today (such as the use of floats in parades) and is considered the first Carnival krewe in the modern sense of the term . </P> <P> In 1875, the state of Louisiana declared Mardi Gras a legal holiday . Economic, political, and weather conditions sometimes led to the cancellation of some or all of the major parades, especially during the American Civil War, World War I and World War II, but Carnival has always been observed in the city in some way . </P> <P> The last large parades went through the narrow streets of the city's old French Quarter neighborhood in 1972 . Larger floats and crowds and safety concerns led the city government to prohibit big parades in the Quarter . </P>

When did mardi gras become an official state holiday in louisiana