Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is the name of the carnival held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Mobile, Alabama and St. Louis, Missouri (USA). It is traditionally known as "Mardi Gras". It held the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is properly the parade that takes place on the last day, but often, it is associated with all season. The so-called "fat Tuesday" refers to it being the last day to enjoy both culinary delights and fleshly before the withdrawal period that marks the beginning of Holy Week and Lent.

Two weeks before Mardi Gras, you can see a daily parade. Parades and celebrations more colorful and preparation take place the last five days of the season. In the last week of the carnival, many activities occur throughout New Orleans and neighboring communities.

Although many tourists visit Bourbon Street and other sections of the French Quarter during Mardi Gras, the largest parades do not go out there because the streets are too narrow for coaches

When you initially gives the season on January 6, the rock called Twelfth Night Revelers organizes a masked ball to mark the beginning of the carnival season. Other clubs like Elves of Oberon and High Priests of Mithras also have dances but not paraded in public. The first parade organizes the rock of Krewe du Vieux, about three weekends before Mardi Gras.

Weekend before Mardi Gras

The population of New Orleans is doubled thanks to the tourists who arrive aforesaid weekend. On Friday night you can see the huge parade of Krewe of Hermes and the satirical parade of Krewe D'Etat besides much smaller as the parade of French Quarter Fairy Fey and the Krewe of OAK parades. Saturday includes several parades during the day as Krewe of Tucks and at night happens the greatest parade, the Krewe of Endymion. On Sunday you can see the Okeanos and Toth during the day and "mega-parade" of Krewe of Bacchus at night. The parades of Endymion and Bacchus typically include film stars, singers and other famous people going aboard dozens of floats that are part of the parades.

Lundi Gras

As of Monday he is known as Mardi Gras. The kings of the Club Zulu de Beneficencia and Placer and the rock of Krewe of Rex arrive at the banks of the Mississippi River at the beginning of Canal Street. On this site a party that lasts all day is organized. In the district of Uptown parade Krewe of Proteus (dating from 1882) takes place during the day and the mega-parade Krewe of Orpheus (which has a theme song for all floats) happen overnight. The flag colors are purple-justice, green-and-gold-power hainz.

Mardi Gras

The celebration begins early on the day of Mardi Gras. In the district of Uptown, the parade of Zulu happens first, followed by the Rex parade; both they end up on Canal Street. Several clubs, which have few members, organize floats that follow the Rex parade. Some other clubs organize marches and small events, such as Pair-o-Dice Tumblers going from one bar to another throughout the day.

The closing of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras officially ends when the kings of Rex and their "subjects," the king and queen of the carnival and the king and queen of the rock of Mistick Krewe of Comus meet. When this meeting is a dance done in the municipal auditorium in the city.

At midnight a squadron of police mounted on horses, begins to clear Bourbon Street. This event means that Mardi Gras is complete and has begun Lent. It is considered inappropriate and disrespectful to put necklaces of Mardi Gras during Lent.

Mardi Gras 

New Orleans

Mardi Gras, meaning “Fat Tuesday” in French, has its origins in medieval Europe. What became a legal holiday in Louisiana in 1875 was once a Christian holiday with roots in ancient Rome. Instead of outright abolishing certain pagan traditions, like the wild Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia, religious leaders decided to incorporate them into the new faith.
What became known as the Carnival season was a kick-off to Lent, a sort of last hurrah before 40 days of penance sandwiched between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. Eventually, the celebration spread from Rome across Europe to the colonies of the New World.

Origins and History of Mardi Grass 

When Iberville first set up camp near the future La Nouvelle Orléans,
 he named the site Pointe du Mardi Gras. The date was Mardi Gras day, 1699.

Mardi Gras, also called Shrove Tuesday, or Fat Tuesday, in English, refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three King's Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

Popular practices on Mardi Gras include wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, debauchery, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition, as it is associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins. In many areas, the term "Mardi Gras" has come to mean the whole period of activity related to the celebratory events, beyond just the single day

The festival season varies from city to city, as 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 Epiphany) to Ash Wednesday

Cities famous for Mardi Gras celebrations:

·          Rio de Janeiro

·          Barranquilla

·         Colombia

·          George Town,

·         Cayman Islands

·         Port of Spain

·          Trinidad and Tobago

·         Quebec City

·         Canada

·          Mazatlán,

·          Sinaloa

·          Mexico

Carnival is an important celebration in Anglican and Catholic nations such as :

·         U.K.

·         Belgium

·         Australia

·         Brazil

·         Colombia

·         Czech Republic

·         Germany

·         Italy

·         Sweden

·         Netherlands

·         U.S.