Mardi Gras this year falls on Feb 27 but the Carnival season started on Jan 6th and is coming into full swing.
I just wanted to take a few minutes and invite you all to join me over the next few weeks to explore Carnival and Mardi Gras. I will be doing articles on the parades, traditions, history and much more. And, with a new digital camera in the family I should have some up-to-date photos to share also. I am also scouring the web for the very best in Carnival and Mardi Gras links to share with you so please check the welcome page often for bulletins and updates.
Mardi Gras can fall on any Tuesday between February 3rd and March 9th. Easter is the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the Spring Equinox. Mardi Gras is 47 days preceding Easter (40 days of lent plus 7 Sundays).
On March 3rd, 1699 Pierre le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville and his group of explorers set camp on the West bank of the Mississippi River 60 miles south of what was to become New Orleans. In honor of the holiday being celebrated on that day in France Iberville named the spot "Point du Mardi Gras" and a nearby channel "Bayou Mardi Gras" - This was the first Celebration of Mardi Gras in the New World.
Under French rule in the late 1700s pre-Lenten masked balls flourished in New Orleans, but were later banned by both Spanish and early American Governors. In 1823 the Creole populace prevailed upon the Governor and the balls started once again. Four years later, in 1827, street masking was made legal.
The first documented parade took place in 1837 but it was not until Comus, organized in 1857, that the parades began to evolve to what we see today.
Carnival Loosely translated from the Latin Carnivale as "farewell to flesh"- the Carnival season in New Orleans begins January 6th (the Twelfth Night) and ends at midnight on Fat Tuesday.
Mardi Gras French for Fat Tuesday- The final "big blowout" before Lent. Midnight Fat Tuesday as the police on horseback, and street cleaners start down Bourbon Street marks the end of the Carnival Season and the start of fasting for Lent.
Lundi Gras French for Fat Monday- from 1874 to 1917, the day before Fat Tuesday was celebrated by the arrival of Rex (the King of Carnival) aboard a steamboat. This tradition was revived in 1987 and now includes Carnival activities staged by Zulu and Rex.
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