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Mardi Gras OUTSIDE of New Orleans

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

If you want to do more than just watch Mardi Gras videos on your Charlotte DIRECTV you’ve got to take in a parade! Aside from the quintessential New Orleans fest here are a few of our other favorites all over the US:
Lafayette – It’s just outside of New Orleans so it’s just as easy to get to but half the hassle. If you want all the festivity without all the crowds and drinking this is a good place to take in the history.
Galveston, TX – If you find yourself in Texas around the season of Mardi Gras make your way to Galveston for a Mardi Gras party all its own. You’ll find all the usual suspects – the beads, the booze and the bars – but without all the Louisiana flair. No eating crawfish!
New York City – New York has a festival for everything so you wouldn’t expect them NOT to have a Mardi Gras party! It’s right in the heart of downtown and people really get into it here. Expect costumes and authentic creole cuisine at restaurants all along the parade route.

Famous Mardi Gras Traditions in New Orleans

admin — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Mardi Gras alone is a very famous traditioin that takes place every year in New Orleans. It is definitely something very exciting to come out and celebrate if you have never been there before. There is so much going on that day. It is a different experience. Mardi Gras is full of music picnics, parades, floats, and tons of excitement. Everyone usually wears purple, green, and gold. You will also see a lot of people walking around with long beads on, and you will definitely encounter many different types of people. All businesses are shut down that day and most people decide to stay in a hotel close because the party doesn’t end until way late. Mardi Gras has been around for a very long time, and the celebrations will always continue every single year. People from all over the country and world come out to New Orleans to join in on the excitement. This is definitely a time that you will not forget. You will not believe your eyes at the many things that you will come in contact with at Mardi Gras. 1947 was the year that they decided to bring floats into Mardi Gras. They are amazing.

Top Five Mardi Gras Celebrations in the US

admin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

New Orleans is the largest and most popular Fat Tuesday destination in the United States. The famous parties and parades can be found on Canal Street and the French Quarter. For a family friendly Mardi Gras visit St. Charles Avenue where the party is geared toward kids.

Mobile, Alabama is home to the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the US. Enjoy a parade every day of Mardi Gras were you can catch Moon Pies along with beads from the floats.

San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter is the host to the city’s Mardi Gras festivities. Although the tradition is young, it it comparable to New Orleans. For one day the streets of Gaslamp Quarter are transformed to a Fat Tuesday circus. To get into this party you will need to be over 21.

St. Louis has a reputation of a great Mardi Gras celebration. The schedule of events has something for everyone including softball tournaments, pet parade, family carnival, and a massive grand feature parade. The folks of St. Louis don’t let the cold weather stop them from hosting one of the most impressive Mardi Gras party in the United States.

Galveston, Texas has New Orleans style but a party of their own. A Galveston Mardi Gras includes games for children, crafts, fireworks, live music, costumes balls, pageants, and even distance walks and runs.

Where and When Did Mardi Gras Originate?

admin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Some historians believe that the traditions associated with Mardi Gras date back thousands of years to pagan rituals involving spring and fertility. Some claim that it began when days were added to the lunar calendar, so that it would coincide with the solar calendar. They believed that since these days were outside the actual calendar, laws did not apply, and therefore, were not obeyed. As Christianity became more and more prevalent, Catholic Church leaders began to merge the pagan traditions associated with these rituals into the new Christian faith, since it would have been very difficult to eliminate them altogether. The overindulgences that were associated with these rituals became the segue into Lent, which is the 40 days of fasting and penance that fall between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. As Christianity spread through the world, so did the practice of Mardi Gras. In some parts of the world, it is known as Fat Tuesday, or Carnival. Food, masquerade balls, elaborate parties, and parades became part of the celebrations. It is believed that French explorers, Iberville and Bienville, brought Mardi Gras to the United States in 1699. Louisiana is the only state that has established it as a legal holiday.

Mardi Gras in New Orlean – A Complete History

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Mardi Gras tradition first came to the New Orleans area with the Le Moyne brothers, Jean-Baptiste and Pierre, who were sent in the late 1600s on behalf of the French king to defend that countryâ€™s claim to the territory. The brothers, and the expedition that they commanded, made camp near what is now New Orleans on March 3, 1699. The date happened to coincide with the French Catholic tradition of Mardi Gras, in which participants indulge in rich foods and celebration just prior to Lent. With the continued settling of French inhabitants in the region, and the founding of New Orleans near that site less than two decades later, Mardi Gras soon became a permanent part of the cityâ€™s unique identity. In fact, the tradition has become so popular in New Orleans that the city celebrates it every year, attracting large numbers of tourists. Although Mardi Gras itself is only a one day event that takes place on the last Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which means that it can fall anywhere between February 3 and March 9, celebrations begin in early January and build momentum up until the big day with elaborate displays of costumes, street parties, and parades.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans – A Complete History

www.thepharaohs.org — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Mardi Gras tradition first came to the New Orleans area with the Le Moyne brothers, Jean-Baptiste and Pierre, who were sent in the late 1600s on behalf of the French king to defend that country-s claim to the territory. The brothers, and the expedition that they commanded, made camp near what is now New Orleans on March 3, 1699. The date happened to coincide with the French Catholic tradition of Mardi Gras, in which participants indulge in rich foods and celebration just prior to Lent. With the continued settling of French inhabitants in the region, and the founding of New Orleans near that site less than two decades later, Mardi Gras soon became a permanent part of the city-s unique identity. In fact, the tradition has become so popular in New Orleans that the city celebrates it every year, attracting large numbers of tourists. Although Mardi Gras itself is only a one day event that takes place on the last Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which means that it can fall anywhere between February 3 and March 9, celebrations begin in early January and build momentum up until the big day with elaborate displays of costumes, street parties, and parades.