It's that time of the year again, where the words "beads" and "booze" appear in the same sentence and don't strike an odd chord with people. At least in New Orleans.
If Brazil's got their own annual Carnaval, the U.S. also has its own colorful, exotic street party, albeit on a decidedly smaller scale. So when the Tuesday before the start of Lent comes around, people flock to New Orleans in Louisiana for the Mardi Gras, and allow themselves to be decked out in beads, masks, fancy props, and beer breath.
All that hype aside, what's with this festival, anyway?
It's Older Than the City
According to the Mardi Gras New Orleans site, the first recorded "Fat Tuesday" celebration happened on March 2, 1699. However, this kind of revelry has been observed in medieval Europe hundreds of years back. The new European settlers brought it over to the U.S. -- New Orleans in particular -- to commemorate their festivities back home.
The city of New Orleans only got established in 1718 by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville, the same guy who set up the first U.S. Mardi Gras. It was only in the 1730s that the festival was openly celebrated, though.
Beads Are No Mere Trinkets
Let's talk about the colors first - the official Mardi Gras color palette is purple, gold, and green. These were "determined by the king of the first daytime Carnival in 1872," according to International Business Times. "He wanted the colors to be royal colors - purple for justice, gold for power and green for faith. The idea was to toss the color to the person who exhibited the color's meaning," the online news source further explained.
Pancake Mania Isn't a Marketing Ploy
Centuries ago, Fat Tuesday meant that the people need to use up their stash of eggs, butter, and milk before the Lenten season of fasting starts. That's because these foods may spoil during the 40 days that they're banned. So they made the kind of food that required those ingredients, not just pancakes, although flapjacks are the more popular choice.
Masks Are for Anonymity
"Masks worn during Mardi Gras allowed wearers to escape society and class constraints. When wearing a mask, carnival goers were free to be whomever they wanted to be, and mingle with whatever class they desired to mingle with," Mardi Gras New Orleans said.
Krewes - Modern Royal Courts
"Krewe" is a stylized version of the word "crew" and represents a "royal court" that includes "a king and queen, who ride the floats and preside over the balls," USA Today noted. It's a "spoof" on European aristocracy. There could be as many as 50 krewes in a Mardi Gras parade.
What do you make of this year's Mardi Gras, Latinos Post readers?
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