Mardi Gras: best know for flashing and for the multicolored beads, the celebration started with more humble beginnings than it is known for today.
What is the purpose of Mardi Gras? Mardi Gras is held on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, signifying the start of Lent. In medieval France, the House of Bourbon celebrated an annual ritual called Beouf Gras, or "the fatted calf." Commonly known as Fat Tuesday, the celebration was a way to eat and be merry before the fasts began.
When early French explorers settled in the area surrounding New Orleans in the early 1700s, they brought the Beouf Gras celebration with them. In 1703, the very first Mardi Gras was celebrated in a small town called Mobile, 60 miles south of what would become New Orleans. In the many years that followed, Mardi Gras was considered a public event and was celebrated with exquisite balls of the elite. The first Mardi Gras carnivals did not occur until the early 1780s.
The tradition of wearing masks during the carnival started early on and is still a fundamental part of celebrating Mardi Gras today. The masks signify the dissolution of social class and status and gives more of a sense of unity among participants. Mardi Gras is a celebration by the people, for the people.
In 1872, local businessmen decided on crowning a Carnival King named Rex, a tradition that still stands till this day. They wanted to honor visiting Russian Grand Archduke Alexis Romanoff. They also decided on the official colors of the beads of Mardi Gras in his honor: purple for justice, green for power, and gold for faith.
In 1875, the governor of Louisiana signed the "Mardi Gras Act" declaring that Fat Tuesday be a legal holiday in the state of Louisiana. While Fat Tuesday is not a legal holiday anywhere else in the United States, it is celebrated on a nationwide scale.
Even during Prohibition, Mardi Gras lived on. In fact, the only time it was ever canceled was between 1918 and 1919, due to World War I. The celebration quickly rebounded and slowly grew into the celebration that we know today.
Today, Mardi Gras has become a major tourist attraction in New Orleans. The festivities are not just for a day, but for at least a week leading up to it. This year's Mardi Gras is on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
Because of Catholicism's widespread reach in early exploration, there are many countries that celebrate Fat Tuesday similarly to the way people of New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras. Central and South American countries, such as Brazil, and several European countries, such as England, France, and Italy, celebrate the beginning of Lent.
