Mardi Gras came to New Orleans through its French heritage in 1699. Early explorers celebrated this French Holiday on the banks of the Mississippi River. Throughout the years, Orleanians have added to the celebration by establishing krewes (organizations) which host parades and balls. Carnival quickly became an exciting holiday for both children and adults.
Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" and of course is celebrated on that day of the week. The date can fall between February 3 and March 9 depending on the Lunar calendar, used by the Catholic Church to determine the date of Easter. Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday.
Continues below - Advertisement - Continues below
The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors were chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex. He chose these colors to stand for the following:
Purple represents justice
green stands for faith
gold stands for power
The Mardi Gras season begins on January 6 and continues until Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. On the Christian calendar, the twelfth day after Christmas is known as "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or "Kings Day." It is the day the gift-bearing Magi visited the baby Jesus, and is celebrated with its own unique rituals.
Mardi Gras Books and Music Need more information on Mardi Gras? Easily search Amazon.com's wide selection from our website.
Join our Mailing List
We'll keep you informed of future
Holidays on the Net Celebrations
Add Comment
Comments
jessica from Louisiana, US
16:46 11/03/2009
is mardi gras celabrated throughout the world
Joe from Arizona, US
13:42 03/26/2009
how many days apart is madi gras and easter
kendra
14:42 03/25/2009
i guess its okay but im an american sorry i believe in food though
sierra woods from Louisiana, US
13:06 03/05/2009
Ive been going to mardi gras my whole life and its been a wonderful exspirience.Im only 12 yrs. old and im saying this because i have been going to mardi gras so much that I actually have a story to tell alot of people who havent went yet.
woodie from Louisiana, US
15:06 02/24/2009
I love mardi gras so much we havent missed a single year yet. Me and my family go to Mobile Alabama to celebrate Fat Tuesday and the rest of the parades before it.
Elvis Presley from Kansas, US
14:43 02/24/2009
Yeah i am back from the dead and i brought Mardi Gras beads with me!
