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Mardi Gras Costume Party Ideas: History (French for "Fat Tuesday") is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". It is the final day of Carnival.  It is a celebration that is held just before the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent.

mardi gras masksWhat's the difference between Mardi Gras and Carnival?
Carnival officially begins in New Orleans on the Feast of Epiphany, or Twelfth Night - Jan. 6 - and continues until the midnight of Fat Tuesday - Mardi Gras - the day before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras Costume Party Ideas for Men
Although not the first venue to host mardi-gras celebrations, New Orleans is particularly well-known, often called "the greatest free show on earth". The celebrations draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city in addition to the celebrating locals for the parties and parades. Most tourists can be found within the French Quarter, especially Bourbon Street.

mardi gras masksMardi Gras Costume Party Ideas for Women
Mardi Gras came to New Orleans with the earliest French settlers. New Orleans developed new traditions, including Carnival organizations called Krewes such as the Krewe du Vieux, the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, and the famous Rex parade, in addition to Mardi Gras Indians and king cake parties.



Mardi Gras costume Party Ideas for Kids
There are as many as 60 Krewes that have parades in the greater New Orleans area. Officially, the Mardi Gras season begins on the 12th day after Christmas. Most parades, balls and other festivities occur on weeknights and weekends in the 2-week period before Mardi Gras Day. Though each parade is different, there are certain common ingredients: 1) There is a king of each Krewe, picked from among the Krewe membership; 2) gaily colored floats, ridden by masked and costumed Krewe members, who throw various items, including beads (necklaces), metal coins called doubloons bearing the official emblem and often, that year's parade's grand marshals name, and assorted other fun items; marching bands from local high schools and universities, and often other invited guest bands.


Mardi Gras costume Party Ideas for Pets
The oldest parading krewes include those of Rex, "King of the Carnival," who has reigned since 1872, and Zulu, founded in 1909, both of whom parade for a half-million or more spectators along a six mile-long route on Shrove Tuesday morning each year. Oldest of the night parades is the Krewe of Proteus, founded in 1882, and which rolls to the light of old-fashioned flambeaux on Lundi Gras (Fat Monday), which is the Monday night before Mardi Gras. New Orleans' parades include anywhere from 14 to 30 or more floats. "Truck parades" of huge, decorated trucks often have more than 100 entries. Other parades are held by "walking clubs," consisting of maskers promendading to the blare of the city's famous jazz bands.

Particularly since the inception of the larger parade organizations (sometimes called "super krewes") such as Bacchus, Endymion and Orpheus, it has become fashionable to invite Hollywood and other celebrities to act as Grand Marshals for parades.

As many as 100,000 Mardi Gras revelers are estimated to throng Bourbon Street in New Orleans' historic French Quarter each Fat Tuesday to view often outrageous costume contests and celebrate until the stroke of midnight, which signals the end of Carnival and the beginning of the penitential season of Lent.

In addition to parades and other public observances, New Orleans is the scene of exclusive and elaborate masquerade balls held by most of the parading krewes and other organizations which limit their activities only to balls. Usually invitation-only affairs, many of the balls feature the presentation of the city's debutantes.

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