Mardi Gras

Right before waffle Wednesday.

It falls on Shrove Tuesday. The day before Lent starts (Ash Wednesday).

The idea was to eat, drink and make merry, before Lent, when one went into denial of some part of life as a reflection of Jesus Christ's 40 days in the Wilderness and temptation by the devil.

French !!!!

It can be argued that Mardi Gras has been celebrated in New Orleans since the town was accepted as the capital of Louisiana in 1723. The first formal parade was observed in 1856

The earliest Mardi Gras celebration in North America was on March 3, 1699 at Point du Mardi Gras (about 60 miles from New Orleans). According to Wikipedia, "the earliest organized Carnival celebrations occurred in Mobile, Biloxi, New Orleans, and Pensacola, which have each developed separate traditions."

Brazil does not celebrate the February 14 holiday, as it is too close to the massive festival of Carnival that happens every year in Brazil. They celebrate the Dia dos Namorados (Lover's Day) on June 12, before the feast of St. Anthony, the patron saint of marriage. Single women perform rituals called simpatias in order to help them get a husband, and already married couples exchange gifts, cards, chocolate, and flowers.

Shrove Tuesday is Pancake day.

1937

There are a few reasons why people wear masks on Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday

1.The masks are often caricatures of individuals from traditional folklore

2.Mardi Gras is a time of gluttony and 'sin' before Lent- so it easy to be wild and indulge in sinful behavior when no one recognizes who you are

3.Wearing masks makes us all equal. It humbles us and brings us to higher level of understanding and spirituality- when wearing a mask you can't tell who is a a king, a pauper a doctor or a cleaner so we are all on the same level

There is no average age... there are babies in strollers as well as elderly people, and all of the age groups are spread fairly evenly.

In 2010, Mardi Gras is celebrated February 16.

Mostly jazz and some marching band, some brass bands, rap, rock, many diverse music sounds

Italy of course! Also Spain and Mexico! But if your looking for Europe use Spain or Italy! Also Libya and Saudi Arabia a lot of flags in Africa have green in them. And don't Forget Ireland! The home of green! Libya's flag is all pure solid green nothing else solid green too if you're looking for the most green. Also, Saudi Arabia's flag is all green with some Arabic Calligraphy in the middle.

viewer's opinion

ok i guess but this i not what i was looking for, this did not help me at all

Mardi Gras - or Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday - originated as the day before the fasting of Lent begins (Ash Wednesday) in order for people to enjoy the last bits of whatever it is they are refraining from for Lent.

Most common place of celebration is New Orleans. Brought over to USA from the French. Always the day before Ash Wednesday. Celebrated with parties and krewes. Involves lots of bead necklaces and PARTYING.

I believe the most likes holiday is Christmas and the 6 week's holiday for kids. This holiday is both religious and non religious. You open presents, eat candy canes, eat. Christmas is the most liked holiday and children do what they wont.

Yes. Thanksgiving is celebrated there just like it is celebrated here

Without a doubt--Bounty. I never use any other brand--they all fall apart or don't absorb well, hence, you use more--therefore costing you more, plus the aggravation of more time wasted cleaning up a spill.

The purpose of Venetian masquerade masks was to conceal the wearer's true identity. The mask allowed for the wearer to act as how they would like to act without being judged by others.

Mardi Gras is everywhere, it's a holiday just like Halloween or Easter. MArdi Gras is predominantly celebrated in the new Orleans and southern gulf areas.

Mardi Gras helps the economy of New Orleans because visitors come and spend money.

It takes place on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday the first day of Lent. New Orleans, Louisiana is most famous for it's Mardi Gras celebration.

The older, less famous celebration takes place in Mobile, AL and is the oldest continuing celebration in the US. Since the US is a multicultural country, there is no single celebration.

No, it is not. While there may a small skeleton crew in the back sorting, mail is unable to move from the branches to the main office by truck on that day... so no mail would move anyways. Any mail dropped into a New Orleans mail box does not get into the transit system until the following day.

The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to Medival Europe but the traditions celebrated today are traced to New Orleans. A French-Canadian explorer, Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville, landed 60 miles directly south of New Orleans in 1699 and called it "Pointe due Mardi Gras." He also established "Fort Louis de la Louisiane" (which is now Mobile) in 1702. In 1703, the tiny settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile celebrated the very first Mardi Gras. In 1704, Mobile established a secret society (Masque de la Mobile) similar to those who form our current Mardi Gras Krewes. In 1710, the "Boeuf Graf Society" was formed and paraded from 1711 through 1861. The procession was held with a huge bull's head pushed alone on wheels by 16 men on Fat Tuesday. New Orleans was established in 1718 by Jean-Baptise Le Moyne. By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated openly in New Orleans without the parades. In the early 1740s, Louisiana's Governor The Marquis de Vaudreuil established elegant society balls. The earliest reference to Mardi Gras "Carnival" appears in a 1781. That year, the Perseverance Benevolent & Mutual Aid Association is the first of hundreds of clubs and carnival organizations formed in New Orleans. By the late 1830s, New Orleans held street processions of maskers with carriages and horseback to celebrate Mardi Gras. Newspapers began to announce Mardi Gras events in advance. In 1871, Mardi Gras's second "Krewe" is formed, the Twelfth Night Reveler's, with the first account of Mardi Gras "throws." In 1872, a group of businessmen invented a King of Carnival -- Rex -- to parade in the first daytime parade. They introduced the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold; the Mardi Gras song, and the Mardi Gras flag. In 1873, the first floats were constructed entirely in New Orleans instead of France. In 1875, Governor Warmoth of Louisiana signs the "Mardi Gras Act" making it a legal holiday in Louisiana, which it remains.

Mardi Gras does not commemorate a particular historical event. It celebrates the last day of the Carnival season. Carnival always starts on January 6 (the feast of Epiphany in the Christian calendar). Mardi Gras (which means "Fat Tuesday" in French) is traditionally the last blast of eating meat and rich foods, as well as drinking and partying. The next day is Ash Wednesday, which begins the beginning of the somber, fasting weeks of Lent, which lead up to Easter. Because the date of Easter changes every year, the dates of Ash Wednesday (46 days before Easter) and Mardi Gras change every year.