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Mardi Gras is a tradition that dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the raucous Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. Mardi Gras Indians may be one of the most mysterious aspects of New Orleans Mardi Gras, particularly for visitors to the city. Tribes were formed by African American communities who were excluded from traditional parades and krewes, and they typically poke fun at krewe royalty and governing structures. In the Czech Republic, it is a folk tradition to celebrate Mardi Gras, which is called Masopust (meat-fast, i.e. beginning of the fast there). There are celebrations in many places including Prague , [ 26 ] but the tradition also prevails in villages such as Staré Hamry , whose door-to-door processions made it to the UNESCO World Intangible 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. From high-energy parades to colorful beads and masks, there are dozens of traditions involved in Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday. The holiday which is less than a week away, is just ahead of 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. There is a story and a purpose behind everything you’ll experience during Carnival Time – from the king cake you’ll eat to the flambeaux who light the The masquerade is an enduring tradition of the Mardi Gras festivities as an opportunity for people to shed their inhibitions and fully imbibe in the party-spirit. A New Orleans city ordinance Mardi Gras is about music, parades, picnics, floats and excitement. It's one big holiday in New Orleans! Revelers know to wear costumes or at least dress in purple, green, and gold, and adorn themselves with long beads caught from the floats of previous parades. Now, Mardi Gras always falls on the Tuesday before Lent, but Three Kings' Day (January 6), is both the official end of Christmas and the first day of the Carnival season. The origin of king cakes and the funny baby tradition can also be traced to Saturnalia. The origins of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras traces its roots to ancient Roman festivals like Saturnalia, which involved feasting and revelry. With the advent of Christianity, these traditions were adapted into Carnival—a period of indulgence before the austerity of Lent. Mardi Gras specifically refers to the day before Ash Wednesday, when people Mardi Gras Means “Fat Tuesday” – The name comes from the French tradition of eating rich, fatty foods before the fasting season of Lent. The First Mardi Gras in America Was in Mobile, Alabama – Established in 1703, Mobile’s celebrations predate New Orleans’ by more than a decade. The customs and traditions of Mardi Gras comprise a cultural repertoire, whereby different themes, rituals and symbols are cobbled together, recycled and reinterpreted. Mardi Gras Trivia Test your knowledge of Mardi Gras — a civic ritual with a storied history and innumerable facets and traditions. The Mardi Gras tradition of throwing beads is thought to have started in the 1890s when one of the carnival kings threw strings of beads and fake jewels to his “loyal subjects” on the route Despite its name, the Mardi Gras Indian tradition is a distinctly African American one (a fact that has sparked questions of whether the moniker is appropriate and, more broadly, if the practice Though the beads were originally glass, nowadays they’re made of plastic, and are one of the most popular Mardi Gras traditions. 4. Zulu coconuts. The all-male krewe has been staging Mardi Gras events in New Orleans since 1872 and are the ones who started the tradition of using the holiday’s famous colors: yellow, purple, and green. thelucaszoo. Come Mardi Gras, king cake reigns above all else. "Better than bakery's! Living and eating in New Orleans for my entire life I was a bit skeptical if I could actually pull off a king cake," writes New Orleans local and home cook Laur5270, who recommends omitting the raisins to make the recipe more traditional. The Galveston Mardi Gras tradition thrives on expressions of mirth and generosity, with beaded adornments flying through the air, symbolizing the city's tight-knit kinship. The traditions of gay Mardi Gras officially began with the Krewe of Yuga’s first Mardi Gras drag ball, in February 1958. In 1962, the event was held at a rented school cafeteria in conservative Jefferson Parish — and raided by the police. The activity has long been referred to as “uniquely Mobile” addition to Carnival traditions and one aimed at bringing Mardi Gras celebrations to the common people.
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Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
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