Paige Valedofsky

21 March 2022

Mardi Gras Event

Mardi Gras is a carnival celebrated in many large Roman Catholic locations.

Mardi is the French word for Tuesday and gras is the French word for fat.

Therefore in France, the day before Ash Wednesday is known as Mardi Gras or Fat

Tuesday. Mardi Gras symbolizes the practice of the last night of eating heavy, fatty

foods before the Lenten season filled with fasting and sacrifices. However, many

people celebrate Mardi Gras in a more enjoyable way with their friends, family, and

even strangers.

Mardi gras was created by French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne

Sieur de Bienville on March 2, 1699. Bienville also established Fort Louis de la

Mobile in 1703, otherwise known as Mobile, Alabama, which was the first place in

America to celebrate Mardi Gras. Years later, Bienville founded New Orleans in 1718,

and by the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated in New Orleans, but not with the

parades like they are today.

In the 1740s, Louisiana’s governor, the Marquis de Vaudreuil came up with

the idea of sophisticated society balls for Mardi Gras, which is the idea for the

current Mardi Gras that people know of today.

The Mardi Gras festival is different in every city within the United States,

such as New Orleans, Louisiana considering Mardi Gras to stretch from the last

night of Christmas (Epiphany) to Ash Wednesday. With that being stated, Louisiana
is the only state to declare Mardi Gras as a legal holiday. While in many other

places, people treat the final three days before Ash Wednesday as Mardi Gras. And

in Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras social events begin in November, with balls on

Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve, throughout January and February, celebrating until

the midnight before Ash Wednesday starts.

As well as in other countries, they celebrate Mardi Gras in various ways, such

as Brazil celebrating a carnival that lasts a full week leading up to Fat Tuesday.

While in Quebec, Canada hosts a winter carnival. And in Denmark, they have a

celebration, but instead called Fastevlan.

However, the concept of Mardi Gras traditions tends to be constant no

matter what country is celebrating it. The standard Mardi Gras colors are purple,

green, and gold. The green color symbolizes faith, the purple color symbolizes

justice, and the gold color symbolizes power.

Another Mardi Gras tradition is trinkets being thrown off of parade floats,

which was an idea that came from a Rex Krewe tradition in the 1920s.

Another tradition is that numerous people wear Mardi Gras masks meant to

hide people’s identity as they mingle with other people. And anyone riding a Mardi

Gras float must wear a mask.

Many breakfast foods like pancakes and crepes are traditional Mardi Gras

foods because they were perfect for clearing out eggs, milk, and butter, which

people can not eat during Lent. The king cake, an idea borrowed from Roman
traditions, is a symbol of good luck and gives special responsibilities to whoever

finds the king buried in their piece of cake.

Mardi Gras is all about celebrating what you have and living your life to the

fullest. Therefore, no matter where you are or how you celebrate the Mardi Gras

event, make sure to have an enjoyable time.