Mardi Gras in New Orleans

Uncommon card · No. 122392

The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in southern Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations happen for about two weeks, culminating on Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday"), a celebratory name for Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the start of Lent in the Western Christian tradition. The overall season is known as Carnival and begins on 12th Night, January 6th, and extends until midnight before Ash Wednesday. Parties known as Club or Krewe balls start soon after, many of which are private, with their Kings and Queens coming from wealthy old families and their courts consisting of the season's debutantes. Most of the high society Krewes do not stage parades. As Fat Tuesday approaches, Mardi Gras parades start in earnest. Usually there is one major parade scheduled each day, while many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain