The first recorded New Orleans Mardi Gras parade took place on March 3, 1699, a tradition that continues to this day. In 1857, an elite society of New Orleans businessmen transformed the holiday. It went from simply lavish dinner parties in costumes to marching bands and extravagant floats. This would carry on throughout the generations of New Orleans natives, until the holiday would be celebrated world wide.
Mardi Gras directly translates to Fat Tuesday. It is a religious day that takes place before Lent, or a fasting period for those who practiced early Christianity. On this day, people were given the opportunity to binge on all of the meat, eggs, and bread in their homes. It was a time of pure gluttony, usually seen as a sin in biblical texts. Accurately speaking, the Mardi Gras season begins January 6 on Epiphany. In Brazil, the days between Epiphany and ‘Mardi Gras” day is called Carnival. So, technically they are the same holiday. But, customs change depending on the country. The customary colors for Mardi Gras were chosen by the King of Carnival in 1892. He chose purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. But, the iconic beaded necklaces came around 20 years before in 1870.
This holiday is the pride and joy of New Orleans natives and will continue to be for hundreds of years to come. Even Hurricane Katrina of 2005 could not halt the important celebration for long. As they say in Mardi Gras, "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" or “Let the good times roll.”
mardi gras
Janay' D. Lee