21 Mardi Gras Facts: A Highly Enlightening Festival To Enjoy!

Once every year, New Orleans witnesses an exuberant crowd storming the streets with colorful masks on their faces as the city celebrates its favorite festival, Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, is a famous annual celebration. It is famous in many countries across the world, with the carnival in Rio de Janeiro being world-famous and that in Baton Rouge being flocked by thousands.

Mardi Gras begins after the Christian feast of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day), and it concludes on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is the French version of Fat Tuesday.

The name implies the ritual of consuming rich and luxurious foods on the last day before beginning the fasting of Lent. It is also popularly known as Shrove Tuesday. This is derived from the word ‘shrive,’ which means 'to confess one’s sins'.

Mardi Gras celebrations are referred to as Carnival in several parts of the world. From king cakes to krewes to eating pancakes to para, there are many Mardi Gras traditions that delight people across the world.

The History Of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is said to have originated from the Pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, dating back to 133-31 BC.

It is believed that the celebrations took place in mid-December in reverence to the god of agriculture. But as per the Julian calendar that the Romans adopted in 45 BC, the winter solstice came on December 25. Consequently, the celebration became allied with Christmas.

In 1699, an explorer named Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville reached a place that later came to be known as New Orleans. Reaching the place on the eve of Mardi Gras, he named it Pointe du Mardi Gras.

This was his way of honoring the holiday. This marked the first celebration of the Mardi Gras event in the US.

Currently, New Orleans, Louisiana, offers the best Mardi Gras season experience. It is also officially a state holiday in Louisiana. In New Orleans, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club members organize and sponsor the city's famous second-line parades.

Rituals In Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is an annual tradition, especially in America. The Krewe organizes the parades and the masked balls. The krewe members are also accountable for choosing the carnival royalty. These organizations are like clubs, with dues ranging from a couple of dollars to many thousands of dollars annually.

Among the many Mardi Gras rituals, the most common one is throwing beads. The tradition of throwing items from the floats goes back to 1871. According to past stories, during the 12th night parade, a man dressed as Santa Claus aboard a float tossed gifts at the crowds.

Back in the day, the beads were made of glass. However, now, these beads are made of plastic as throwing them at people is deemed safer and cheaper, but they tend to clog the drains of New Orleans. The city installed a device called 'gutter buddies' to stop these beads from clogging the drains after the parades.

Another famous Mardi Gras ritual includes wearing masquerade masks. If you visit New Orleans, you will see that the celebration is rife with masks. The original purpose of the mask was to get rid of any social constraints by hiding their identity. But now, wearing a mask on the float is mandated by the law.

Among the signature Mardi Gras throws, the Zulu coconut is the most coveted. Typically, all the hair from the outside is removed and the coconuts are hand-painted before they are tossed into the crowds by the float riders.

In 1988, the tossing of coconuts was banned after some injury claims from people. However, sometime later, the people were allowed to continue the ritual.

Mardi Gras rituals also include king cake. It is the most famous Mardi Gras confection that comes with a small baby figure baked inside. Whoever finds this figurine in the king cake is thought to be blessed with abundant luck. They are also declared the 'King’ for the day.

New Orleans' carnival day parades are famous and usually go on for weeks before the Lent fasting season. The first Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans took place in 1837. The Mistick Krewe of Comus was the first organization to roll floats from New Orleans. Also, the Krewe of Rex was the foremost parade krewe.

Dresses In Mardi Gras

The celebration largely involves the use of masks and costumes by all the attendees.

The official colors of the celebration are purple, gold, and green. It is said that the Krewe of Rex selected the three Mardi Gras colors in 1872 to honor the Russian Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich Romanov.

The latter visited New Orleans during the carnival festivities. The krewe asked all the people of the city to adorn themselves in colors that hold symbolic meaning, like purple (justice), gold (power), and green (faith).

It is common to see parade-goers dressed in crazy costumes that often take the shape of animals, fairies, and the like. A lot of people dress up in medieval costumes as well as those of clowns. Also, most of the costumes are made from vividly colored feathers and capes.

Fun Facts: Mardi Gras

Check out these fun Mardi Gras facts.

Mardi Gras is believed to have originated in Rome, but it only became popular after it reached France.

After that, it spread throughout Europe and England, where it came to be known as 'Shrove Tuesday' or 'Pancake Day'. Much later, the celebrations reached America.

Mardi Gras' official greeting is Laissez les bon temps rouler; in Cajun French, it means 'let the good times roll.' You can hear people saying it again and again during the parade celebrations.

Orleans' Mardi Gras parades are popular for their luxurious floats.

Kern Studios in the city is accountable for constructing these floats that are used on carnival day.

It is unlawful not to wear a mask while afloat. Everyone on the float must either wear a mask or smear their faces with color. 

Every year, the krewes finalize a different theme for the parade. Each float is then decorated differently to match the central theme. The chosen theme can be anything, from humor to literature. Also, as soon as Fat Tuesday is over, the krewes start working on the floats for the next party.

To score beads at the Mardi Gras celebration, you must use the magic words: ‘Throw me something, mister!’ as the float passes by.

Mardi Gras has rarely been called off, even in the event of a clogged storm or civil war. Even Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in 2005, did not dampen the mood.

The event has been called off only a few times, such as all through the two World Wars and the epidemic of Yellow Fever that occurred in the 1870s.

In 2013, in addition to the annual Mardi Gras carnival season, New Orleans also hosted the Super Bowl. To accommodate big crowds, the city expanded its regular parade season to keep the streets free of floats during the Super Gras.

To end the carnival season officially, New Orleans police officers mounted on horseback moved through the crowds on Bourbon Street at midnight. Often, the mayor also joins them.