Joe Cain’s Merry Widows are one of the oddest Mobile carnival traditions the common reveler could possibly witness. These women, whose identities are hidden from the public, show up to the Church Street Cemetery at 11:15 a.m. on Joe Cain Day, dressed in traditional funeral attire and full veils. Truly southern names are chosen as their personas and pinned to their veils. As they circle the resting place of their late “husband,” they pay their respects by screaming, wailing, faking faint spells, and publicly accusing each other of murdering their beloved husband, their treasured Joe Cain. As the leave the cemetery, the veiled ladies throw black roses and beads to onlookers, as they are the only ones allowed to carry and throw the color of mourning. The women then board a bus and proceed to the house on Augusta Street in the Oakleigh Garden District, where Joe Cain actually lived, to enjoy cocktails in his honor. In the People’s Parade later that day, the Merry Widows put on quite a show atop their float, mourning, wailing, and fighting each other over accusations of poisoning and strangling the man they all love. Police have even taken part in the drama, handcuffing widows and carrying them away from the rolling float. They disperse thereafter, roaming the streets for the rest of their husband’s holiday, passing out their black roses and sharing stories with the revelers of their one true love, the honorable Joe Cain. If you've enjoyed our Mardi Gras trivia, pick up a copy of our Mardi Gras zine! Available online and on our website at www.serpentsofbienville.com Thanks for looking! #mardigras #mobilealabama #joecain #merrywidows #joecainsunday #mardigras2018 #mobileal
