Mardi Gras AKA Fat Tuesday

I had originally planned to again make this week's posting on West Africa in anticipation of my project and service learning experience; but, as you can see by the title of this post, I changed my mind. I decided instead, in honor of Fat Tuesday, to post a little bit about a tradition that has become (in part) and American tradition. Last year I was able to go down to New Orleans with my boyfriend, Ryan, and some friends of ours for the Mardi Gras celebration there. We were not able to stay for Fat Tuesday itself because of work and school obligations, but we spent the weekend. I was unable to go this year, but Ryan and many of the same friends from last year were. Both years were a great time, and I'm sure we will make every effort to make it back in the years to come. So, because we had so much fun, I decided to do a little research into the history of the holiday (and it is a holiday, not just a big party) and share what I found with you all. Mardi Gras literally means "Fat Tuesday" in French and is technically only the last three days of the celebration. The full celebration, called Carnival in many countries, runs from Twelfth Night (twelve days after Christmas) to Ash Wednesday. In practice most celebrations run for one full week before lent, but some Mardi Gras celebrations begin as early as January 6, at the feast of Epiphany, and end at midnight of the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The actual date changes from year to year and is always 46 days before Easter. It is a celebration primarily observed in Roman Catholic counties and locals. It is an opportunity to celebrate and indulge in food and drink before the the Lenten season begins. It is traditionally marked by parades including floats, pageants, masks, costumes and people dancing in the street. The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold representing justice, faith and power. The most famous Mardi Gras celebrations are held in New Orleans, La; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nice, France; and Cologne, Germany. Like many Christian holidays, however, Mardi Gras has roots in the pagan tradition and was originally associated with spring fertility rights. The first American Mardi Gras was celebrated near modern day New Orleans on March 3, 1699, and he first official parade organizations there didn't begin to form until the mid 1800s. As I said above, the celebration in New Orleans is now one of the most widely known in the world, and I can tell you that it is a lot of fun. While it is (by tradition as I pointed out) partly about indulging in food and alcohol, it is also about just being glad to be alive and celebrating life with friends. I loved the time I spent in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and think that it is something that everyone should experience at least once. Here are some pictures from this year and last.

Bourbon Street is where the majority of the party takes place. The parades run on a street perpendicular to Bourbon and go on for hours.

This is what Bourbon Street looks like at night during Mardi Gras.

People pay to rent balconies like these to get a good view of the festivities. A few bars have free access.


This is the group who were at Mardi Gras '07. I'm in the middle back in the pink fuzzy hat.

This is part of the group from this year. My boyfriend Ryan is the second from the left.

The big thing at Mardi Gras New Orleans style is the hurricane, so if you want to honor the holiday and have a drink in celebration, here is a recipe:

1 oz wt. rum
1 oz Jamaican dark rum
1 oz Bacardi 151 rum
3 oz orange juice
3 oz unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 oz grenadine syrup
crushed ice

Mix all but ice and pour in glass over crushed ice, garnish with fruit

*factual information on Mardi Gras found at History.com