Mardi Gras (0)

Mardi Gras (Fat
Tuesday in English) is
a Carnival celebration
wellknown
throughout the world.
It is a season of
parades, balls and
king cake parties.
History
The celebration of Mardi Gras came to North America from Paris, where it had been
celebrated since the Middle Ages.
In the late 1700s preLenten balls and fetes were held in New Orleans. Under French rule
masked balls flourished, but were later banned by the
Spanish governors. The
prohibition continued
when New Orleans became
an American city in 1803.
The traditional colors of
Mardi Gras are purple
(justice), gold (power) and
green (faith). These colors
are said to have been chosen
by Grand Duke Alexis
Alexandrovitch Romanoff
of Russia during a visit to
New Orleans in 1872.
Costumes and masks are seldom publicly worn by nonKrewe members on the days before Fat Tuesday,
but are frequently worn on Mardi Gras Day. Laws against concealing one's identity with a mask are
suspended for the day. Banks are closed, and some businesses and other places with security concerns
post signs asking people to remove their masks before entering.
Inexpensive strings of beads and toys have been
thrown from floats to paradegoers since at least the
late 19th century.
With the advent of
the 21st century, more sophisticated throws
began
to replace simple metallic
beads. Krewes started to produce
limited edition beads and plush toys that are unique to
the krewe.
The first week of January in New Orleans starts the King cake season. The traditional King
cake is a coffee cake. It is iced with a simple icing and covered with purple, green and gold
sugar.
Each cake contains a hidden bean or small plastic baby, and custom tells that whoever finds
it must either buy the next King cake or throw the next King
cake party. One Mardi Gras
organization uses the King cake
tradition to choose the queen of
its annual ball.
The formal end of Mardi Gras arrives with "the Meeting of the
Courts", a ceremony at which Rex and His Royal Consort meet
with Comus and his Queen at the ball of the Mistick Krewe of
Comus.
Promptly at the stroke of midnight at the end of Fat Tuesday, a mounted
squad of New Orleans police officers make a show of clearing upper
Bourbon Street where the bulk of outoftown revelers congregate,
announcing that Mardi Gras is over, as it is the start of Lent, commencing
with Ash Wednesday (the day after Fat Tuesday)