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Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Original Published Date January 25, 2010. 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] Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street is known for booze, flashing and bead-throwing, while parades elsewhere in the city feature floats, doubloon coins and Moon Pies. Original Published Date March 5 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 (or “Fat Tuesday” as it is translated from the original French) most likely began as the pagan festival of Lupercalia (or Februa), a fertility celebration dating back to the 6th Century BCE, held each February 15th dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. 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 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. 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. 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. What is the origin of Mardi Gras, and what does it celebrate? You may already know that Mardi Gras comes right before Lent, which is the season leading up to Easter. 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. At the time, Miami wasn’t well suited for ‘large’ cruise ships, and Mardi Gras ran aground fully loaded while sailing out of port with 530 passengers and 200 crew on board, which led to some And that was our “original Mardi Gras, ” but it was on New Year’s Eve, not Mardi Gras. Michael Krafft died in 1832 before the second parade, but that year the Cows picked up speed, and at least by 1842, the Cows had a theme and a parade with torches, floats, transparencies for lighting and all the mystic stuff that we now identify with While Mardi Gras is celebrated in various forms around the world, it is most famously associated with New Orleans, Louisiana. Over the centuries, Mardi Gras in New Orleans has evolved into a grand and extravagant celebration, deeply rooted in the city’s unique blend of French, African, Spanish, and Caribbean cultures. What to Know. Mardi Gras 2025; Original Farmers Market at Third & Fairfax; March 1 and 2, 2025; the market will also feature live music on the evening of Mardi Gras, which is Tuesday, March 4 Yes, there is a vibrant Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama, widely recognized as the birthplace of America's original Mardi Gras. In Mobile, Mardi Gras celebrations begin two and a half weeks before Fat Tuesday, featuring parades, colorful floats, and various festive activities. Learn the history & origin of Mardi Gras from Arthur Hardy, the world's foremost authority on Mardi Gras. Insider Tours offers vacation packages featuring all the BEST that Mardi Gras 2025 has to offer! Parade tickets, Bourbon St. Balcony Party, ghost tour, swamp tour, plantation tour, beads, guides & more! Apparently, most of New Orleans is wrong about the origin of Mardi Gras colors. Yes, they’re purple, green and gold. And in 1892, the Rex parade theme "Symbolism of Colors" gave meaning to these colors. Mobile takes its favourite celebration seriously, and for good reason. It was the first city to host Mardi Gras in 1703, only a year after the city’s founding by French settlers and at least two “Le soir de Mardi gras, il faut danser sur les fumiers pour avoir des navets.” (On Mardi Gras night, you must dance on the manure to get turnips..) “Mardi gras sous la pluie, l’hiver s’enfuit.” (Mardi Gras is in the rain; winter is running away.) “Quand Mardi gras est là alors enlevez vos balances et faites vos crêpes.” Mobile is the birthplace of America's original Mardi Gras. That's right, Mardi Gras originated in 1703 right here in our port city. It was revived after the Civil War when citizen Joe Cain, fed up with post-war misery, led an impromptu parade down city streets.
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