What year did Sal's Sno Balls open on Metairie Road?
History of fleur de lis symbol
Hey Blake,
I need help with a bet. I lived in Metairie when I was a kid, and now I live in Ohio. My question is: What year did Sal's Sno Balls open on Metairie Road? I think that it was in 1960. — Shannon Hartley
Dear Shannon,
You poor thing. I'll bet the only snowballs you can get in Ohio are the real ones, not the syrup-covered, man-made ones we get here. In this case, man has outdone nature. You win the bet. Sal's opened in 1960. In the 2006 'Best of New Orleans" readers' survey in Gambit Weekly, Sal's Sno Ball Stand at 1823 Metairie Road was chosen by locals as one of the top three sno-ball stands in the area.
Hey Blake,
The fleur de lis symbol has been taken to represent the rebirth of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and generally is considered to be associated with the Bourbon kings of France. However, I am sure it goes back much farther than that as it is worn as a collar pin by the special forces of the Israeli Army and is part of the logo of the Boy Scouts, which was founded in England. — Bert
Dear Bert,
In French, fleur de lis means 'flower of the lily," and its origin has been debated for centuries. The design " a stylized lily or possibly an iris " has been used as a decorative element and often has been associated with royalty. Because of its three points or petals, some see the emblem as a representation of the Holy Trinity.
There is no question that the fleur de lis is very old. It has been found on Mesopotamian cylinders, Egyptian bas-reliefs, Mycenaean pottery, Sassanid textiles, Gaulish coins, Mameluk coins, Indonesian clothes, Japanese emblems and Dogon totems.
As a heraldic charge or symbol, it dates from the 12th century. For certain, French King Philippe II and possibly his father adopted the fleur de lis, and the symbol has been associated with French kings since the year 1200.
The coat of arms of ancient France (1179) was a blue field sprinkled with fleur de lis. English kings later used the symbol on their coats of arms to emphasize their claims to the throne of France.
From at least the 10th century, the fleur de lis appeared on coins and seals. Sometimes it decorated a crown or formed the end of a scepter. A large one might be held by a king along with his scepter. The symbol has had a strong association with royalty since the 11th or 12th century.
The fleur de lis also has been used as punishment. The Code Noir of 1685 stipulated that slaves who violated the law forbidding assembly with slaves of different masters were subject to being whipped and branded with the symbol of the kings of France " the fleur de lis.
This emblem also is associated with the Boy Scouts, a group founded in Great Britain in 1907 by Sir Robert Baden-Powell. In the early years of the group, Baden-Powell was criticized for trying to turn boys into soldiers. The critics pointed to the Scout symbol and called it 'a spearhead, the emblem of battle and bloodshed." To silence them, Baden-Powell countered, 'The crest is the "fleur-de-lis,' a lily, the emblem of peace and purity."
In fact, Baden-Powell had said earlier that the emblem was chosen to stand for the sign for the North Point because 'it points in the right direction (upwards), turning neither to the right nor left, since these lead backward again."
The fleur de lis has been adopted as part of the official badge of organizations such as the Israeli Intelligence Corps, a division of the Israeli Defense Forces. Saint Louis University in Missouri and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette use the fleur de lis in their coats of arms. The Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps also uses the fleur de lis as its official logo, and members even sport a fleur de lis tattoo.
