Mardi Gras - 02/24/2009
French for "Fat Tuesday," Mardi Gras celebrates the last day before Ash Wednesday and the start of the season of Lent, 40 days prior to Easter. "Fat Tuesday" implies stuffing your face with all manner of goodies, indulging yourself in all sorts of fun before giving up something for Lent begins.
Although Mardi Gras is celebrated elsewhere, the most famous celebration takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. People come from all over to take part in the city-wide party and parade featuring elaborate floats, costumes, and throwing beads as tokens to those on the sidelines. Showing some skin to get more beads is optional!
Beautiful sequined masks are usually worn for Mardi Gras, decorated with ribbons, feathers and all sorts of embellishments. Mardi Gras masks are an intrinsic part of the festivities, allowing revelers to fully abandon inhibitions with anonymity and enjoy the day, or just to indulge in their fantasy and become someone -- or something -- else.
One of the traditional foods eaten during Mardi Gras is the "King Cake," decorated with icing and sugar in the holiday's designated colors: Green (faith), Purple (justice), and Gold (power). Baked inside each King Cake is a tiny, plastic toy baby. According to legend, the person who gets the piece with the baby token inside hosts the next year's King Cake party.
