I always learn something new every year about the Mardi Gras season and now, I pass some of this knowledge on to you!
Here are 11 facts about Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday, mostly collected from NewOrleansOnline.com, CNN andMardiGrasNewOrleans.com:
Next year, it falls on Feb. 28. But, as the New Orleans event organizers note online, Mardi Gras “is a whole season — not just one day.”
“Mardi Gras” is French for Fat Tuesday.
Fat Tuesday is also known as Shrove Tuesday, a term that has its roots in the word “shrive,” meaning “to absolve someone of their sins.”
New Orleans is the most popular place to celebrate in the United States, but revelers also gather in Mobile, Alabama.
Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, which is always 46 days before Easter. Mardi Gras is always the day before.
Germany, Trinidad and Italy also host big festivals for the holiday.
In England, it’s often called Pancake Tuesday, so named because it was a chance for people to use up their flour, sugar and eggs before Lent.
Partiers started wearing Mardi Gras masks to protect their identities while they celebrate. Today, people who ride on floats have to wear masks under law.
Various krewes put on parades for Mardi Gras. The oldest in New Orleans is the Krewe of Rex, which has been active since 1872.
Singer Harry Connick, Jr. helped found the Krewe of Orpheus in 1993. Guests in the parade since have included Whoopi Goldberg and Sandra Bullock.
More than 500,000 king cakes are sold every year in New Orleans. The circular cakes are often colored yellow, purple and green and usually include a plastic baby figurine baked inside. It’s lucky to find the baby.