The festival known as Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday in French, begins the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Millions of people watch it every year, and it’s commonly called Carnival. Although the terms Carnival and Mardi Gras are sometimes used synonymously, there is a significant distinction between the two. While Carnival spans the whole season and kicks off a period of gluttony on January 6, Mardi Gras is limited to one day. The Epiphany Feast is observed on this day.

Many locations have weeks-long extravaganzas throughout the carnival season, replete with parades that frequently contain vibrant floats and people dressed in costumes, as well as celebration balls and other activities. The countries with the longest carnival festivities include Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and some of them extend for many months beyond the previous year.

When Christianity emerged as the dominant religion in Rome, the decision was made to integrate Christian celebrations with local customs. Among them is Mardi Gras, which begins ahead of Lent, which is a Christian tradition in which followers fast from birth until Easter Sunday for forty days. This is all according to History.com.

Numerous southern cities in the US, including Mobile, Alabama, and New Orleans, Louisiana, take part in the festivities. Every year, Mardi Gras falls precisely 47 days before Easter, albeit the specific dates are different. Mardi Gras is this year on Tuesday, February 13. As the 2024 celebrations get begun, see how people are celebrating both today and, in the past, both globally.

Customary Processions and Public Events

Two parades with a long history passed through the Uptown section of the city and onto Canal Street in the commercial centre as they passed through the quarter’s little streets. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club arrived first, sending out hand-decorated coconuts, the century-old club’s distinctive present, to marchers and riders dressed in African-inspired attire. Later, Rex, the King of Carnival, paraded along St. Charles, pausing with Mayor LaToya Cantrell for a ceremonial toast at a historic downtown building.

Vibrant costumes and energetic music

Latin music blared as revellers dressed in feathers, spandex, wigs, and capes danced in front of St. Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square. The city was filled with a lively and celebratory mood as a result of the celebrations, which included brilliant costumes, traditional parades, and upbeat music.

Carnival of Lights

With Mardi Gras parades, street celebrations, and a sizable outdoor costume festival in New Orleans’ French Quarter, the carnival season came to an end on Tuesday. The city was filled with a lively and celebratory mood as a result of the celebrations, which included brilliant costumes, traditional parades, and upbeat music.

What else does Mardi Gras entail?

Although Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, is a secular event, it has strong ties to Roman Catholic and Christian customs. It is observed as the last day of eating and partying before the seriousness of Lent and always occurs the day before Ash Wednesday.

Bethany Kraft, a frequent visitor from Mobile, Alabama, remarked, “I was raised Catholic, so tomorrows for repentance but today is for partying,” when she and her husband Alex were waiting for parades.

With its many customs that the residents like, New Orleans hosts the biggest and most well-known Carnival festival in the country. It also provides a significant stimulus to the city’s tourism-based economy, which is always felt in the French Quarter. 

Over the weekend, Renitta Haynes, a tourist from Chattanooga, Tennessee, saw the costumed revellers on Bourbon Street and said, “No strangers down here.” “Everybody is incredibly kind and personable. I love that.

Big Mardi Gras celebrations are not exclusive to New Orleans. With six parades planned for Tuesday, Mobile, Alabama, is home to the oldest Mardi Gras celebration in the country. World-famous extravagant Carnival celebrations may also be seen in Brazil, the Caribbean, and Europe.

Brazil’s Carnival

Brazil has a rich and colourful history with carnival. Around seven in the morning, when the first blocos, or free street parties, begin their boisterous and vibrant musical procession through the city’s streets, is when a typical Carnival Day there begins.

What’s the holiday about?

Carnival is a secular event, although it has Christian and Roman Catholic roots in New Orleans and other parts of the world. The season starts on January 6, the day after Christmas, and lasts until Mardi Gras, the last day of celebration, eating, and drinking before Ash Wednesday and the Lenten fast.

With its extravagant balls, street parties, and energetic parades, New Orleans hosts the biggest and most well-known Carnival events in the country. Processions vary from local walking clubs, such as the “Bosom Buddies” march on Friday, to grandiose, high-tech extravaganzas with enormous floats that are illuminated with flashing lights and include enormous, animated characters.

What is the end celebration?

The big build-up to Mardi Gras takes place in New Orleans in the last 12 days of the season, with massive parades passing past mansions on St. Charles Avenue and into the downtown area of office buildings and hotels. Carnival celebrations, which include parties, fancy masked balls, and other markers of the season, may begin on January 6. Along the Gulf Coast, there are often big parades that travel through the suburbs.

Way, are you going?

Street to street and community to neighbourhood, there are differences in the mood. The atmosphere along the procession routes is welcoming to families. Just off the path, picnic spots are set up by groups, and food trucks provide corn dogs, cotton candy, and funnel cakes.

What is meant by “the throws”?

In New Orleans, the word “throw” refers to the awards given to onlookers by walking krewe members and float riders in parades. The highly valued gifts at “Bosom Buddies” are intricately adorned bras. In the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club procession, participants distribute highly sought-after painted coconuts. Shiny, handmade shoes embellished with glitter were mementos from Thursday’s Muses procession. Plastic beads strung in shimmering strings are common, however some krewes are looking at alternatives due to environmental concerns.