MARDI GRAS IES Vega del Argos 2018-

2019

MARDI GRAS VOCABULARY
Float: a platform on a truck that carries a
display in a parade
Throw: any object thrown from a float, like
beads or coins
Krewe: an organization or club that participates
in Mardi Gras celebrations
Masquerade ball: a party, with dancing, in which
everyone wears a mask or disguise
Cajun: an adjective for French settlers who lived
in the Louisiana bayous around the 1700s
Bayou: a marshy part of a lake or river where
the water is usually very slow
Gris gris: an African or Caribbean charm or
amulet
Big Easy: a nickname for New Orleans
FOOD
FRENCH WORDS
PARADES/PARTIES
Doubloon: a metal coin
Flambeaux: fire torches used to light
parades before there was electricity
Gumbo: a southern soup made of roux and
sausage or seafood
Lagniappe: something you get for free
Roux: a mixture of flour and oil, used as a
base for many Cajun dishes
Jambalaya: a spicy dish made of rice,
tomato, and meat
Gator: alligator
Reveler: a person enjoying themselves in a
noisy way, usually at a party
Write your real name
and your Mardi Gras
name across the top of
your paper

Write the numbers 1-5

 1. HOW MANY
SYLLABLES ARE IN
“MARDI GRAS”?
 MARDI GRAS HISTORY &
FACTS
Mardi Gras is a season of revelry and romance, of madness and
music, of parades and parties. It is a time when the gaudy and the
gorgeous all come together for one gigantic blowout from the regal to
the ridiculous.
Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is a festival celebrated by Roman Catholic
countries and communities around the world on the Tuesday before
Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, a period of
penance. Elaborate parties, spectacular masked balls and revelers
dancing in the streets along with plenty of food and drink are the
hallmarks of Mardi Gras, especially in New Orleans.
Over 1 million people flock to New Orleans each year to enjoy the
stunning floats and lavish celebrations for an entire week before Ash
Wednesday. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is often called “America’s
Greatest Party”.
 2. IN NEW ORLEANS, MARDI
GRAS IS CONSIDERED
“AMERICA’S GREATEST ____”
THE LENTEN CALENDAR
In America, the capital of Mardi Gras is
New Orleans, Louisiana

Specifically, celebrations are held on

Bourbon Street
 3. THE CENTER OF MARDI
GRAS CELEBRATIONS IS “___
STREET”
MARDI GRAS COLORS

Purple Green Gold

MARDI GRAS SYMBOLS

Masks Jesters Beads

MARDI GRAS FOOD

Jambalaya Muffaletta King Cake

 4. MARDI GRAS COLORS
ARE PURPLE, GOLD, AND…?
 5. HOW MANY POINTS ARE
ON A MARDI GRAS JESTER’S
HAT?
 • What is the oldest object
in the Mardi Gras
• Over 50 museum?
• They must buy next • What jobs are needed to
year’s cake create floats?
• A ball invitation from • What does the person who
the 1850s finds the king cake baby
• To participate in have to do?
tradition and to hide his• Why does the leader of
identity the Sparta Krewe wear a
• Carpenters, welders, mask?
and mechanics • How many king cakes
• The trumpet does one bakery usually
DESIGN A KREWE
1. What three colors represent your Krewe?
2. Draw a mask that Krewe members wear
3. What two special ingredients are in your Krewe’s
king cake?
4. What is the shape of your Krewe’s float?