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The festival season varies from city to city; Mardis Gras often refers to the last day of Shrovetide (or Fastelavn or Carnival), thus being synonymous with Shrove Tuesday. [4] Some traditions, such as the one in New Orleans , Louisiana, consider Mardi Gras to stretch the entire period from Twelfth Night (the last night of Christmas which begins 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 History of Mardi Gras In 1703, Mobile, Alabama was the first city recorded to have the oldest organized Mardi Gras in the U.S., according to Curious Cuisiniere . "The first documented celebration of modern-day carnival, what people think of as carnival in the United States is historically without a doubt began in Mobile. Although The Big Easy in Louisiana is perhaps best-known for its Mardi Gras revelry, the port city of Mobile, Alabama, founded in 1702 by French settlers, lays claim to being the city that first 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 arrived in North America as a sedate French Catholic tradition with the Le Moyne brothers, [3] Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, in the late 17th century, when King Louis XIV sent the pair to defend France's claim on the territory of Louisiane, which included what are now the U.S. states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The History of New Orleans Mardi Gras . Although the date of the first organized celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans is debatable, the 1730 account of one Marc-Antoine Caillot (a young clerk sent to Louisiana by the French Company of the Indies) mentions a celebration with music and dance, mask-wearing and costumes—including cross-dressing. 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 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. The Big Easy is almost synonymous with Mardi Gras, but some claim that Mobile, Alabama, hosted the first city-wide event. Whatever the case may be, processions of maskers with carriages and horseback riders were commonplace in New Orleans by the late 1830s. The Origins of Mardi Gras. The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced back to ancient Roman festivals, particularly the pagan celebrations of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. These festivals, held in midwinter, were marked by feasting, drinking, and a general sense of chaos and social reversal, during which societal rules were temporarily relaxed. As 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. The History of Mardi Gras What is the origin of Mardi Gras? Mardi Gras has its origins in medieval Europe, especially in France and Italy. The tradition was brought to the United States by French explorers in the 17th century. It became widely celebrated in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it has grown into the famous festival we know today. If there was ever a time where you vocalized your need to self-indulge via partying, drinking, and good times while everyone in the city is doing the same thing, then your friend definitely suggested going to New Orleans, specifically during Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras Day is notoriously famous, and people flock to the Crescent City by the thousands On average, over one million tourists enter the city in the final days before Mardi Gras, more than three times the city’s 2024 population of 357,767. The increase in people has an undeniable ST. MARY PARISH — Mardi Gras season is in full swing, and the celebrations in Morgan City are drawing large crowds. On Sunday, the city hosted three parades: the Krewe of Galetea, Krewe of Nike Taylor was instrumental in integrating Mardi Gras krewes. In 1992, she authored a city ordinance to eliminate discrimination, ordering krewes to implement an open admission policy. The origins of Mardi Gras date back even further to medieval Europe and it celebrates the period before Lent, The prohibition continued when New Orleans became an American city in 1803, but by The tradition of Mardi Gras was introduced to New Orleans by French settlers who arrived in the city in the late 17th century. The first recorded Mardi Gras celebration in the city took place in 1699, when French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville arrived at a spot along the Mississippi River that would become New Orleans and held a small celebration to mark the occasion. The seven symbols for Mardi Gras are king cakes, Mardi Gras masks, parades, Mardi Gras throws, the fleur de lis, Mardi Gras beads, and the official colors of Mardi Gras. Head to our Mardi Gras symbols guide for an in depth look at the history and meanings behind the symbols of Mardi Gras .
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