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Mardi Gras is around the corner.
Carnival season festivities will close Tuesday in spectacular fashion with colorful parades, glitzy beads and masked celebrants.
Mardi Gras is celebrated around the globe and has roots in Christian traditions. In the United States, the grandest celebrations are held in New Orleans, where Mardi Gras is core to the southern city’s identity.
The city’s famous annual parades were back in full swing for the second year in a row after the pandemic put the partying on pause in 2021. More than 1 million visitors have flood the city for Mardi Gras, according to a study by WalletHub.
Here’s what to know about the celebration.
When is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras, which is French for “Fat Tuesday,” is on Feb. 21. The next day is Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Christian Lent, a time of fasting and abstinence that culminates in the Easter holiday. The name Fat Tuesday arose from the custom of using all the fats in the home before the start of Lent, according to Britannica.com.
New Orleans hosts the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S. This year it has been holding events since the official start of Carnival season on Jan. 6, which is known as Twelfth Night, the Mardi Gras New Orleans website says.
Bands will play Tuesday, and floats sponsored by local krewes (social clubs) will parade down city streets. Float riders throw trinkets to the crowds, a tradition that began in the 1870s. Typical “throws” include beads, cups, coins and stuffed animals.
Krewes organize their own parades. One of the more popular parades, the Rex (King) Parade, is put on by the historic Rex krewe, which was founded in New Orleans in 1872 and is one of the oldest participating Mardi Gras clubs in the city.
The Rex krewe is responsible for many of the traditions famous today, including Mardi Gras’ official colors: purple, green and gold, according to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website. The Rex Parade features hundreds of riders, and the “Rex” or king of the krewe.
Each year, a new king is selected to oversee the parades, and their identity is kept a secret until Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi Gras, according to the city’s Mardi Gras website. Rex is usually a community leader in the city.
Where is Mardi Gras celebrated?
Another city with prominent Mardi Gras festivities is Mobile, Alabama, which in 1703 became the first community in the present day United States to celebrate Mardi Gras, according to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website.
Other notable Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S. include:
How did Mardi Gras get started?
The tradition dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia, according to History.com.
In other places such as Brazil and Venice, the entire celebration period is called Carnival.
In the U.S., Mardi Gras celebrations were introduced by 18th century French settlers who founded Mobile and New Orleans, according to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website.
What is King cake?
King cake is also known as the Twelfth Day cake because it celebrates Epiphany, a Christian holiday that commemorates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus 12 days after Christmas.
The special cake is eaten throughout Carnival season, according to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. The cake traditionally contains a tiny plastic or porcelain baby figurine. Tradition calls on whoever finds the trinket in their slice of cake to host the next King cake party, the museum said.
Contributing: Matthew Diebel and Olivia Munson, USA TODAY
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