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Learn about the origins and customs of Mardi Gras, a Christian holiday and cultural festival celebrated around the world before Lent. Find out how New Orleans became the home of the first American Mardi Gras and how it evolved over time. Mardi Gras (UK: / ˌ m ɑːr d i ˈ ɡ r ɑː /, US: / ˈ m ɑːr d i ɡ r ɑː /; [1] [2] also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. [3] Learn how Mardi Gras originated in medieval Europe and evolved in America, especially in New Orleans. Discover the origins of Mardi Gras colors, krewes, balls, floats and throws. 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. Learn how Mardi Gras evolved from a pagan fertility festival to a Christian holiday to a global cultural phenomenon. Discover the origins, traditions, and controversies of Mardi Gras in New Orleans and other cities. Every year, as winter fades and spring approaches, the streets of New Orleans explode with color, music, and celebration. Mardi Gras, the grandest festival in Louisiana, is famous for its parades, beads, masked revelers, and deep cultural traditions. Why is Mardi Gras celebrated? Mardi Gras is celebrated in many countries around the world, though mainly in places with large Roman Catholic populations. It's believed that Mardi Gras emerged from the wild ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. These pagan celebrations involved days of feasting, masquerading, dancing, and drinking. Learn about the history and traditions of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, a French-American festival celebrated annually before Lent. Find out how krewes, parades, balls, and throws are part of the Carnival season in the city. Learn how Mardi Gras started as a Catholic holiday in Medieval Europe and evolved into a colorful and festive celebration in New Orleans. Discover the origins of the first Mardi Gras parade, the Krewe of Comus, and the traditional colors and outfits. But Mardi Gras history actually extends all the way back to the days before Christianity in Ancient Rome, and has roots in pagan spring festivals. As with most other holidays with a deep heritage, the traditions and customs of Mardi Gras evolved as it moved through countries, continents, and centuries and became the raucous, joy-filled There is no pinpointing the origins of the celebration known today as Carnival or Mardi Gras. Indeed, because its most elemental characteristics — drinking and feasting, dancing and music, masks and costumes — extend back into the mists of time, there’s no tidy way to connect the dots between prehistoric cave paintings of dancing stick-like figures wearing animal masks and the modern pre In 2025, Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday, March 4. Mardi Gras—just one of the festival’s many names—is marked by raucous parties and parades, revelers wearing elaborate costumes, and delicious Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," and many scholars believe that Mardi Gras has its roots in the ancient pagan ritual of Saturnalia, which celebrated t Mardi Gras History and Traditions Learn about the famed celebration's cultural roots and traditions. Mardi Gras is so much more special when you understand what you’re celebrating and what each tradition means to the generations of parade-goers who have stood on parade routes before you. Mardi Gras masks are more than just festive accessories—they carry a rich history and cultural significance. Every detail, Mardi Gras color and design tells a story, and the artists who craft As Mardi Gras has evolved throughout the years, many of its historical benchmarks have mirrored American society and geopolitical events, with the colors of Mardi Gras coming out of a visit from a Russian duke, for example, and the first African American king and queen of Mardi Gras crowned right before the civil rights movement. 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. In 1870, Mardi Gras' second Krewe, the Twelfth Night Revelers, was formed. This is also the first recorded account of Mardi Gras "throws.". Newspapers began to announce Mardi Gras events in advance, and they even printed "Carnival Edition" lithographs of parades' fantastic float designs (after they rolled, of course - themes and floats were always carefully guarded before the procession). After the Civil War, Comus returned to the parade scene in 1866. Four years later, the Twelfth Night Revelers debuted. This unique group made Carnival history at its 1871 ball when a young women was presented with a golden bean hidden inside a giant cake, signifying her selection as Mardi Gras’ first queen and starting the “king cake” tradition. LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - From bulls parading down streets to the first Krewe of Krewes parade, Southwest Louisiana has a storied history when it comes to Mardi Gras. The earliest recorded Mardi Gras celebration in Southwest Louisiana was in 1882. However, the festivities died down soon after as
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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