Mardi Gras At A Glance
Mardi Gras is an ancient custom that originated in southern Europe. It’s a colorful and exuberant celebration of food and fun just before the 40 days of Lent (a Catholic time of prayer and sacrifice). Brought to Louisiana by the French, it evolved in New Orleans from a simple carnival event into extravagant parades of ornamental floats with bands and ornately decorated masqueraders. Today, big cities and small towns throughout Louisiana enjoy lively festivities throughout the Carnival season, which can begin as early as two weeks before “Fat Tuesday.” In rural Cajun towns, such as Mamou, Church Point and Eunice, they celebrate “Courir du Mardi Gras,” copied directly from old European tradition with some uniquely Louisiana twists. Masked horse riders travel the country roads stopping at designated homes where they perform dances and antics to win chickens, vegetables and other ingredients for a huge pot of gumbo everyone shares at the end of the day. Another tempting Mardi Gras tradition is the King Cake. There are many varieties, but most consist of a cinnamon roll-style dough baked and topped with purple, green and gold sugar and a white icing. Hidden inside the dough is a plastic baby. Tradition demands the person who gets the baby must buy the next king cake. Upcoming Mardi Gras dates:
- March 4, 2014
- February 17, 2015
- February 9, 2016
- February 28, 2017
- February 13, 2018
- March 5, 2019
- February 25, 2020
