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Mardi Gras
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Mardi Gras is the elaborate series of outdoor pageants and indoor tableau balls held annually during the winter social season in the United States, especially in New Orleans and Mobile. The carnival culminates on Fat or Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Rooted in European pre-Lenten revelries, the carnival tradition in the United States began in the colonial period and developed in tandem with racial policies and practices and survives as an extravagant spectacle of excess, decadence, and burlesque. The pageants, each sponsored by one of the many exclusive carnival organizations, are based upon themes drawn from mythology, history, or fiction and are often satiric of contemporary social issues.
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[One] peculiarity to those not yet familiar with Mardi Gras would be the King Cake. This sweet oval-shaped cake is covered with Purple, Green & Gold sugar or icing (or both!) and a small plastic baby is hidden somwhere inside the cake. Why is a plastic baby in this cake?, you ask. Once again, it is due to the religious ties of Mardi Gras -- the plastic baby represents the Christ child. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby inside is required to provide the next King Cake. King Cakes are eaten throughout the Carnival season -- January 6th until Mardi Gras Day.
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For those who enjoy celebrity-spotting, this year's Mardi Gras will have plenty to gawk about. Helio Castroneves (two-time winner of the Indy 500 and recent winner, with partner Julianne Hough, of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars") will have a new partner for Mardi Gras as he teams with Salt-n-Pepa as co- Grand Marshals of the Krewe of Orpheus. Hollywood actor and director Kevin Costner will reign as Endymion, and pro wrestler Hulk Hogan, host of the relaunched "American Gladiator," will reign as this year's Bacchus.
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Mardi Gras started in Mobile, Alabama at 27 Mile Bluff in 1703 when it was a colony of French soldiers. This was a continuation of the cultural traditions of the settlers in Mobile. After having survived a particularly nasty bout with yellow fever, they decided to celebrate, but since party favors were few and far between in the New World, the men opted to paint their faces red and just act crazy for a few hours. They must have had fun because it became an annual event. Many years later, New Years Eve 1830, Mobilian Michael Krafft did not want to end the dinner party celebrating the season with friends at a restaurant in downtown Mobile. Following the meal, these tipsy revelers "borrowed" some agricultural implements from a sidewalk display outside a downtown hardware store.
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Mardi Gras comes alive at Universal Studios! The streets are filled with beads, live bands, and a rocking parade—but that's just the start. Every Saturday, legendary party bands are taking the stage to turn your night into a party of historic proportions! And no Mardi Gras party would be complete without all the cuisine and music that's made The Big Easy famous. So get yourself ready for Mardi Gras, and let the good times roll!
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Mardi Gras has been celebrated in America on a grand scale, with masked balls and lively parades, since the early 1700s. Costumes were originally worn to keep the identity of krewe members secret. Many krewes followed a strict code of secrecy. No one in their right mind would ever reveal who was behind the masks at the parades or balls. Today, the secretiveness is no longer as big of a deal. However, removing your mask during a parade is still cause for membership termination in many older krewes.
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