Mardi Gras, the last day of the Carnival season, is officially celebrated on the day before Lent begins. The Christian holiday is celebrated across the United States and the globe, although New Orleans is a popular location to celebrate the day.
Mardi Gras in a Christian holiday that dates back thousands of years. According to History.com, Mardi Gras, which means Fat Tuesday in French, is celebrated every year on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. For Christians, Lent includes 40 days of fasting and focusing on God and occurs between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.
Although the very first United States Mardi Gras was in Mobile, Alabama in 1699, it was officially established in New Orleans in 1718. The Louisiana city has remained the place that the holiday is associated with today.
In New Orleans, there are large parades and more formal events like glamorous balls that take place in celebration of Mardi Gras, according to the New Orleans website.
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Traditionally, Mardi Gras encourages people to indulge in sweets, yummy food and celebrate before Lent begins.
Now, Mardi Gras brings people together every year to enjoy the music, parades and food that is associated with holiday.
Over the years, it has become bigger and bigger in its celebrations. Even though New Orleans is where the most elaborate festivities happen, Mardi Gras events take place across the United States.
1. Make a king cake
King cake is one of the main foods of Mardi Gras. The cake dates way back to 12th-centruy France and made its way to New Orleans in the 1870s.
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A king cake is rather doughy in texture and has a sweeter taste. It is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar on the top and often contains purple, green and gold, the colors of Mardi Gras. Purple signifies "justice," green for "faith" and gold represents "power."
Often times, there is a tiny plastic baby placed inside the king cake, which is representative of baby Jesus. It has become tradition that whoever finds the baby in their slice has to bake the next cake.
2. Attend a Mardi Gras parade
Mardi Gras is all about the parades. Giant floats, extravagant costumes, loud music, decorative masks and of course, infamous beads.
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Even if you don't find yourself in New Orleans for the holiday, that doesn't mean you can't catch a Mardi Gras parade elsewhere.
Other states that celebrate the occasion in an over-the-top way with parades are Alabama, Texas, Missouri, Florida and California.
If you are looking to catch a Mardi Gras parade, check what is going on locally in your area. There is a chance one could be happening a lot closer to home than you'd think.
3. Decorate your house for your own Mardi Gras party
If you want to celebrate, but also want to keep it simple, bring the party to you. Having a Mardi Gras party at home is a great option if you've got little ones.
Get the whole family together to decorate the house with purple, green and gold. You can hang up banners, decorate with flowers, get some balloons and lots of beads.
You can dress up for the occasion as well since costumes are such a huge part of the celebration. Wear feather boas, beads and masks. Decorate your own masks for a fun Mardi Gras activity. And don't forget the king cake.
