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No matter what aspect of Mardi Gras you’re interested in, we have Mardi Gras facts and trivia for you! Keep reading to learn more about this special holiday. Plus, for more fun this Fat Tuesday be sure to check out our free printables for Mardi Gras including this word search , word scramble and these coloring pages . 1. Mobile Is The Birthplace Of Mardi Gras. First things first: The beloved tradition was actually born in Mobile, Alabama, though many associate it with New Orleans. Mobile first celebrated Mardi Gras in 1703, with the party really heating up in 1831. Mardi Gras is still a huge event in Mobile, with dozens of balls and parades every year. Mardi Gras is not just for humans; New Orleans hosts a "Krewe of Barkus" parade, where dogs don costumes and join the fun. The largest Mardi Gras float ever built was over 330 feet long and carried more than 200 riders. Mardi Gras in Popular Culture. Mardi Gras has made its mark in popular culture, appearing in movies, music, and literature. Mardi Gras arrived in North America as a French Catholic tradition with the Le Moyne brothers, who came to defend France's claim on Louisiana. The very first American Mardi Gras took place on March 3, 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans. They held a small celebration Mardi Gras is more than just a day, it’s an entire season. Carnival season begins on Twelfth Night (January 6) and ends on Fat Tuesday. It’s during this time period that king cakes make their debut - and fly off the shelves all season long. Mardi Gras Indians’ elaborate “suits” are hand-sewn with thousands of beads and take all year That’s why, to really prep you for the holiday, we’re here with a host of need-to-know Mardi Gras facts. (The date for Mardi Gras 2025 is later this year, so there’s really no excuse for not getting up to speed!) Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday,” a pretty-spot on name for the last event of Carnival season before heading in to Mardi Gras Facts. 1. "Mardi Gras" translates directly to "Fat Tuesday." 2. Mardi Gras is the final day of carnival celebrations before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent.. 3. Most carnival The first Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans took place in 1837. New Orleans, Baton Rouge, the Louisiana Northshore doggies get their own parades. The first floats in the parades in New Orleans Mardi Gras appeared in 1857. Purple, gold, and green are the official Mardi Gras colors. The clubs that hold parades or balls at Mardi Gras are called Krewes. Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. It's most famously celebrated with parades in New Orleans Mardi Gras has religious roots, as it marks the last day before Lent in the Christian calendar, but today, it is also celebrated as a cultural and secular festival. 4. Do all Mardi Gras celebrations have parades? No, some places celebrate Mardi Gras with masquerade balls, street parties, and cultural events instead of large-scale parades. 5. Mardi Gras is a festive day celebrated in France on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent. Nearly every year (the Covid-19 pandemic years notwithstanding) the city of New Orleans descends in to a chaotic flurry of crowds, colorful masks, and beads galore all in celebration of Mardi Gras. The Legend of Mardi Gras Indians: The Mardi Gras Indians are a group of African American men and women who dress up in elaborate feathered and beaded costumes and perform in Mardi Gras parades. According to legend, the tradition of Mardi Gras Indians dates back to the 19th century, when African American slaves in Louisiana were inspired by Mardi Gras is a movable feast with cultural and religious importance, representing a last lavish party before the season of penance and meditation. 4. The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. The classic Mardi Gras colors—purple, green, and gold—have rich symbolic meaning. We have an all-in-one Mardi Gras guide with additional details about the celebration year-to-year, but we’ve created this guide as your go-to resource specifically for planning Mardi Gras 2025. From this year’s key parade and event dates to updated safety info and local insights, we’ve got you covered. Krewes are organizations that puts on a parade and/or a ball for Mardi Gras/Carnvial. They are clubs of a sort, with dues ranging from $20 to thousands of dollars annually. Krewes are also responsible for selecting carnival royalty in New Orleans, such as 'Rex', the king of Mardi Gras. On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans, and named it "Pointe du Mardi Gras" when his men realized it was the eve of the festive holiday. Bienville also established "Fort Louis de la Louisiane" (which is now Mobile) in 1702. Mardi Gras is bursting with vibrant traditions, and few are as iconic as attending parades, indulging in delicious and colorful king cakes and donning elaborate Mardi Gras masks. But have you ever Mardi Gras refers to Fat Tuesday, the final day of revelry before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins.” Mardi Gras wasn’t referred to as “Carnival” until 1781. New Orleans floats are traditionally known as tableaux cars. Mardi Gras meaning of beads: Mardi Gras “throws” (like beads) started in 1870. 1. It Starts in January. Mardi Gras in Pensacola actually kicks off on “the twelfth day of Christmas,” as the song says. While Pensacola doesn’t stick strictly to that date, the season officially starts on the first Saturday in January with a fantastic street party on Palafox Place in downtown Pensacola complete with a reverse parade and plenty of colorful krewe members.
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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