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Mardi Gras: Fat Tuesday
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"Mardi Gras" means "Fat Tuesday." Traditionally, it is the last day for Catholics to indulge—and often overindulge—before Ash Wednesday starts the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. Formally known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras has long been a time of extravagant fun for European Christians.
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The Mardi Gras season begins on January 6 and continues until Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. On the Christian calendar, the twelfth day after Christmas is known as "Epiphany", "Twelfth Night", or "Kings Day." It is the day the gift-bearing Magi visited the baby Jesus, and is celebrated with its own unique rituals.
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As mentioned above, Mardi Gras really kicks into high gear the last two weeks. The height of the party - including the most famous parades and other activities - is the last long five-day weekend, from Friday through Fat Tuesday. For 2009, this means Feb. 20-24. The weekend before that ... offers a packed selection of parades and plenty of partying in the Quarter, and may be preferable if you're not sure about the whole Mardi Gras thing. Mardi Gras involves big, big rowdy crowds. Some find the final frenzy overwhelming . . . others thrive on it. And some locals schedule vacation and head to Dubuque.
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New Roads, Louisiana hosts the state's oldest Mardi Gras celebration outside New Orleans. The family-friendly celebration has been an annual event since 1922 and includes two parades on Fat Tuesday: the Community Center Carnival parade, one of the nation's oldest African-American sponsored events, which rolls in the morning; and the New Roads Lions Carnival parade, the first-known Mardi Gras parade to be staged as a charitable fundraiser, which rolls in the afternoon. Each parade consists of as many as 30 floats built fresh each year and 10 marching bands and drill units. Law enforcement officials have estimated New Roads parade attendance as high as 80,000.
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Riders on float 5 in the Elks Orleanians parade toss throws to the crowd on St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans on Mardi Gras day Tuesday, February 4, 2008. Elks Orleanians is the oldest and largest of the truck parades. The theme of this year's parade is "Elks Salute our Construction Workers." 93 trucks carrying approximately 4,200 riders pay tribute to the men and women rebuilding New Orleans.
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