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 (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] French for Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras is always on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. This year it will be held on Tuesday Feb. 13. Mardi Gras is only one day but the Mardi Gras season, also known as the carnival season, can last for weeks culminating on Fat Tuesday. Many people assume that New Orleans is the birthplace of Mardi Gras. However, many Some point to 1699 as year the first American Mardi Gras was held, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed about 60 miles south of present-day New Orleans 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. History of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras was observed for the first time in the New World by French pioneers at Twenty-Seven Mile Bluff, the first settlement of Mobile way back in 1703. 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. What does Mardi Gras mean? Translated to English, "Mardi Gras" means "Fat Tuesday." Mardi is the French word for Tuesday, and gras means "fat." This name comes from the custom of eating all the fatty, rich foods in the house prior to Lent in order to prepare for fasting and abstinence. So, Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. For those who think Mardi Gras is a weeks-long celebration of debauchery, drunkenness, and nudity–you’re right. But only half right. At the heart of it, Mardi Gras is also a Christian holiday traced to pagan spring and fertility rites dating back thousands of years that has become a popular cultural phenomenon worldwide. When Mardi Gras arrived in the U.S., so did this tradition of disguise. According to The Times-Picayune , many of the early Mardi Gras celebrants in New Orleans imported their costumes from Europe. Wherever Mardi Gras traveled over the years and centuries, the symbolic colors followed along. Their ability to transcend location is a testament to how integral purple, green and gold are to Carnival celebrations. Simplifying Mardi Gras. Examining the history and the meaning behind the colors makes it clear how they are significant for Mardi Gras: News For local news story in the Mobile Alabama Bay Area, this is where you want to come. Things To Do; Mardi Gras This is for all things Mardi Gras related along the Gulf Coast. Local Businesses If you live in the Mobile, Alabama region and you’re looking for a certain type of business, this is the category for you. One of the earliest photos of a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, the city which serves as the epicenter of Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States. A Mardi Gras parade makes its way down The first Mardi Gras “krewe” took to the streets in 1857, when the Mistick Krewe of Comus, “a group of New Orleans businessmen, decided to invent a more civilized celebration” after Where did flambeaux come from? Flambeaux (plural for flambeau, or a flaming torch) comes from the French word flambe , meaning “flame.” The first official Mardi Gras flambeaux debuted with the Mistick Krewe of Comus on Fat Tuesday in 1857. After missing in-person Mardi Gras traditions last year, the New Orleans community is ready to jump back into celebrating the way they know how; with beads, bands, floats, and food. There is so much to be excited about as Mardi Gras approaches. Like so many other cultural institutions in this country, Mardi Gras has a complicated history. Glass beads did not become a New Orleans Mardi Gras staple until the 1880s, after Anglo-American “krewes” had formed to organize the loose-knit festivities. Beignets have been associated with Mardi Gras in France since at least the 16th century, according to WhatsCookingAmerica.net. Café du Monde in New Orleans, which has been in business since 1862, is a coffee stand famous for its beignets and sells its specialty beignet mix. In fact, beignets are the only food items sold at the coffee shop. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like When and where did Mardi Gras come from and to?, Where did the explorers celebrate Mardi Gras back in 1699?, What has New Orleans added throughout the years? and more. Mardi Gras Dates. 5: What is the significance of the Mardi Gras colors, and where did they come from? Rex, the King of Carnival, selected the Mardi Gras colors and assigned meaning to them in 1892. Purple stands for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. Mardi Gras Colors. 6: Why are masks worn? By law, float riders must always have a
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