But when the krewe announced in 2013 that their namesake, the real Chewbacca, British actor Peter Mayhew, would ride in the parade, they weren't kidding. Mayhew's 2013 appearance in Chewbacchus may be the most meta moment in Mardi Gras history since a genuine Russian royal reviewed the first faux royal Rex parade in 1872.
The faux religiousness that has crept into recent Chewbacchus statements (co-Pope for example) can be traced to the fall of 2014, when the krewe continued its benign subversions by becoming a bona fide church, for tax purposes anyway. The krewe management got no argument from the IRS when they declared that their annual celebration of the "Sacred Drunken Wookiee" is a religious observance. Naturally, krewe captain Ballard immediately declared himself high priest.
“For their own good, vegetarians should never be allowed near fine beers and ales. It will only make them loud and belligerent, and they lack the physical strength and aggressive nature to back up any drunken assertions.”
