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Alexas party was tonight
{{Infobox Holiday |
|holiday_name=Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)(Shrove Tuesday)
|image=BandStPh.jpg
|caption=Costumed musicians, [[French Quarter]], New Orleans
|official_name=Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)
|nickname=Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day, Dollar day
|observance=historically associated with [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] populations
|date=Day before [[Ash Wednesday]]
|date2007=February 20
|date2008=February 5
|date2009=February 24
|date2010 = February 16
|date2011 = March 8
|date2012 = February 21
|date2013 = February 12
|date2014 = March 4
|date2015 = February 17
|date2016 = February 9
|date2017 = February 28
|date2018 = February 12
|date2019 = March 5
|celebrations=Parades, parties
|longtype=Local, cultural, Catholic
|type=christian
|significance=Celebration prior to fasting season of [[Lent]].
|relatedto=[[Carnival]]
}}
"'''Mardi Gras'''" ([[French language|French]] for '''Fat Tuesday''') is the day before [[Ash Wednesday]]. Mardi Gras is the final day of [[Carnival]], the three-day period preceding the beginning of [[Lent]], the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday immediately before Ash Wednesday (some traditions count Carnival as the entire period of time between [[Epiphany]] or [[Twelfth Night (holiday)|Twelfth Night]] and Ash Wednesday).<ref name="carnivalterminology">{{cite web|title="Mardi Gras Terminology"|work="Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau"|url=http://www.mobile.org/vis_mardigras_terms.php|accessdate=2007-11-18}}</ref> The entire three-day period has come to be known in many areas as Mardi Gras.<ref>[http://www.crivoice.org/cylent.html The Season of Lent]</ref> Perhaps the cities most famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations include [[Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]], and [[New Orleans, Louisiana]]. Many other places have important Mardi Gras celebrations as well. Carnival is an important celebration in most of Europe, except in Ireland and the United Kingdom where [[Pancake Tuesday|pancakes]] are the tradition, and also in many parts of [[Latin America]] and the [[Caribbean Carnival|Caribbean]].
{{TOClimit|limit=2}}

==Belgium==
In the Belgian city of [[Binche]] the "Mardi Gras" is the most important day of the year and the summit of the [http://www.carnavaldebinche.be Carnival of Binche].
Around 1000 ''[[Gilles]]'' can be found dancing throughout the city from in the morning until well past dark whilst traditional carnival songs play.
In 2003, the Carnival of Binche was proclaimed one of the [[Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]] by [[UNESCO]].

==Brazil==
{{main|Brazilian Carnival}}
In Brazil, the Carnival celebrations in [[Recife]], [[Salvador, Brazil|Salvador]] are well-known with the most notable being that one held in [[Rio de Janeiro]]. The celebrations of Carnival end on Mardi Gras. Thousands of people from across Brazil and also from other parts of the world come to attend the festivities.

===Recife===
[[Image:Carnival Recife Brazil.JPG|thumb|left|300px|2007 [[Carnival]] at Pátio de São Pedro square, in Recife.]]
Recife is home to several noted Carnival celebrations. One famous event is the "Noite dos Tambores Silenciosos". Recife's Carnival is nationally known and attracts thousands of people every year. The party starts a week before the official date, with electric trios "shaking" the Boa Viagem district. On Friday, people take to the streets to enjoy themselves to the sound of frevo and to dance with maracatu, ciranda, caboclinhos, afoxé, reggae and manguebeat (cultural movement created in Recife during the 90s) groups. There are still many other entertainment poles spread out around the city, featuring local and national artists. One of the highlights is Saturday when more than one million people follow the Galo da Madrugada group. From Sunday to Monday, there is the Night of the Silent Drums, on the Pátio do Terço, where Maracatus honor slaves that died in prisons and jails too!

===Rio de Janeiro===
[[Image:Mangueira-1998.jpg|thumb|300px|Mangueira samba school parades in [[Rio de Janeiro]].]]
The [[Brazilian carnival|Carnival]] is an annual celebration in Brazil held 40 days before Easter and marks the beginning of Lent.
Rio de Janeiro has many Carnival choices, including the famous ''[[Samba school|Escolas de Samba]]'' (Samba schools) parades in the [[sambódromo]] exhibition centre and the popular 'blocos de carnaval', which parade in almost every corner of the city. The most famous parades are the ''Cordão do Bola Preta'' with traditional carnaval parades in the centre of the city, the ''Suvaco do Cristo'' parades in the Botanic Garden, ''Carmelitas'' parades in the hills of Santa Teresa, the ''Simpatia é Quase Amor'' is one of the most popular parades in Ipanema, and the ''Banda de Ipanema'' which attracts a wide range of revelers, including families and a wide spectrum of the gay population (notably spectacular drag queens).

===Salvador===
According to the [[Guinness Book]], the [[carnival]] or ''Carnaval'' of Salvador de Bahia is the biggest street party on the planet. For an entire week, almost two million people join the city's street celebrations, which are divided into circuits: Barra/Ondina, Campo Grande and Pelourinho. The music played during Carnaval includes Axé and Samba-reggae. Many "blocos" participate in Carnaval, the "blocos afros" like Malé Debalé, Olodum and Filhos de Gandhi being the most famous of we.

==Caribbean nations==
[[Image:JacmelMardiGras.jpg|thumb|300px|Mardi Gras [[Papier-mâché]] masks, [[Jacmel]], [[Haiti]].]]
In the Caribbean, [[Caribbean Carnival|Carnival]] is celebrated on a number of islands: [[Antigua]], [[Aruba]], [[Barbados]], [[Bonaire]], [[Curaçao]], [[Dominica]],[[Dominican Republic]], [[Grenada]], [[Guadeloupe]], [[Haiti]], [[Jamaica]], [[St. Lucia]], [[Saint Vincent and the Grenadines]], [[Saint Kitts and Nevis]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]] and [[United States Virgin Islands]] are some of the celebrants.

==Colombia==
{{main|Barranquilla's Carnival}}
Several [[Colombian]] cities celebrate carnivals in the period between [[Twelfth Night (holiday)|Twelfth Night]] and Mardi Gras. The most important of these celebrations is [[Barranquilla's Carnival]] ''(Spanish: Carnaval de Barranquilla)'', which starts on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday and ends on Mardi Gras. The roots of Barranquilla's Carnival date back to the 19th century, and is reputed for being second in size to Rio's, but is far less commercialized. The '''Carnival of Barranquilla''' was proclaimed by [[UNESCO]], in November 2003, as one of the [[Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity]].

==France==
The city of [[Nice, France]] records that in the year of 1294, the Comte de Provence Charles II, Duc d’Anjou began taking his holidays in Nice to take part in the festivities of Carnival complete with [[ball (dance)|balls]], masquerades, bonfires, jugglers, mimes, and more. All that was required to take part was a costume and a mask. So much revelery was had that even the church could not control the more obscene aspects. The city's records, however, show that the celebration hit a high note in the period of time they call the [[Belle Époque]], in the late 19th century to early 20th century before the World Wars. The city of Nice still celebrates Mardi Gras with parades of flower covered floats and brilliant night-time light displays.<ref>[http://www.nice.fr/mairie_nice_560.html Histoire et tradition - Carnaval<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Germany==
The celebration of Mardi Gras in Germany is called [[Karneval]], [[Fastnacht]], or [[Fasching]].<ref>http://www.serve.com/shea/germusa/karneval.htm</ref> Fastnacht means "Eve of the Beginning of the Fast", and thus it is celebrated until the day before Ash Wednesday. The most famous parades are held in Düsseldorf, Köln (Cologne), and Mainz on Monday before Ash Wednesday on "Rosenmontag" i.e. Lundi Gras.

==Guatemala==
The main celebration of Mardi Gras in Guatemala is in [[Mazatenango]]. Also, there are a lot of mimes.

==India==
In [[Goa]], India, the Carnival is celebrated for three days culminating on Fat Tuesday. Goa was a Portuguese colony until 1961. In [[Kerala]] State the carnival parade is called "Rasa" (fun in Sanskrit) and happens on the night before Ash Wednesday. There are typically no masks in the celebration, unlike in Goa.

==Italy==
===Venice===
{{main|Carnival of Venice}}
[[Image:VeniceShopWindow.jpg|thumb|300px|Venetian shop window with Carnival masks.]]
[[Venice]] is home to one of the most famous Carnival celebrations in the world, in addition to one of the oldest. The '''[[Carnival]] of [[Venice]]''' (or ''Carnevale di Venezia'' in Italian) was first recorded in 1268. The subversive nature of the festival is reflected in the many laws created over the centuries in Italy attempting to restrict celebrations and often banning the wearing of [[mask]]s. Masks have always been a central feature of the Venetian carnival, traditionally people were allowed to wear them between the festival of ''Santo Stefano'' ([[St. Stephen's Day]], at the start of the Carnival season and midnight of [[Shrove Tuesday]]. As masks were also allowed during [[Ascension of Jesus Christ|Ascension]] and from October 5 to [[Christmas]], people could spend a large proportion of the year in disguise [http://www.carnivalofvenice.com/argomento.asp?cat=13&lang=en]. Maskmakers (''mascherari'') enjoyed a special position in society, with their own laws and their own [[guild]]. In 1797 Venice became part of the Austrian-held [[Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia]] when Napoleon signed the [[Treaty of Campo Formio]]. The Austrians took control of the city on January 18, 1798 and it fell into a decline which also effectively brought Carnival celebrations to a halt for almost two centuries. Carnival was outlawed by the [[fascist]] government in the 1930s. It was not until a modern mask shop was founded in the 1980s that Carnival enjoyed a revival.<ref>[http://www.visitvenice.co.uk/venice-carnival.html Venice Carnival / Carnevale of Venice 2008<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Mexico==
In [[Mexico]], there are big Carnival celebrations every year in [[Mazatlán]], which has "The third largest Mardi Gras in the world", and [[Veracruz (city)|Veracruz]], which that include the election of a queen and street parades. There is also a week-long Carnival or Mardi Gras celebration in [[Mérida, Yucatán]]. [[Ocozocoautla de Espinosa]], [[Chiapas]] also holds a Carnival with a mix of Christian and indigenous elements.

==Panama==
Carnival is celebrated in several Panamanian cities such as Las Tablas, Ocu, Chitre, Penenomé and Panama City. Carnival in this country is characterized by the soaking of people mainly via the use of water trucks and hoses. The celebrations tend to last through a four day holiday weekend.

==Slovenia==
In [[Slovenia]] it is called [[Kurentovanje]]. It's from the word Kurent which is the name of a mask, made of sheep skin and richly decorated. People make noise with bells attached on their hips. It's also one of the traditions to eat doughnuts.

==Spain==
In Spain it's called 'Carnaval'. The Carnival in Chipiona [http://carnavaldechipiona.com Carnaval in Chipiona] is without doubt the festival that represents the Spanish town the most. It's celebrated in the month of February and coincides with the date of the festival held in the capital of the province, Cádiz. Even though it's official duration is just 10 days, for at least a month before, there are activities which are always held in the peñas and by various organizations.

==Sweden==
In Sweden the celebration is called [[Fettisdagen]]. It comes from the word "fett" (fat) and "tisdag" (Tuesday). Originally, this was the only day one should eat "Semlor" ([[Semla]]) (fat Tuesday buns), but these are now found in most grocery stores and bakeries preceding the holiday, and up until [[Easter]]

==United States==
While not observed nationally throughout the United States, a number of cities and regions in the country have notable celebrations. Mardi Gras arrived in North America as a sedate French [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] tradition with the Le Moyne brothers,<ref name=MGtime>
"New Orleans & Mardi Gras History Timeline" (event list),
Mardi Gras Digest, 2005, webpage:
[http://www.mardigrasdigest.com/html/mardi_gras_history__timeline.htm MG-time].
</ref> [[Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville]], in the late 17th century, when [[King Louis XIV]] sent the pair to defend France's claim on the territory of ''[[French Louisiana|Louisiane]]'', which included what are now the U.S. states of [[Alabama]], [[Mississippi]], and [[Louisiana]].<ref name=MGtime/>

The expedition, led by [[Iberville]], entered the mouth of the [[Mississippi River]] on the evening of March 2, 1699, [[Lundi Gras]], not yet knowing it was the river explored and claimed for France by [[René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle]] in 1683. The party proceeded upstream to a place on the west bank about 60 miles downriver from where [[New Orleans]] is today, where a small tributary emptied into the great river, and made camp. This was on March 3, 1699, Mardi Gras day, so in honor of this holiday, [[Iberville]] named the spot ''Point du Mardi Gras'' (French: "Mardi Gras Point") and called the small tributary Bayou Mardi Gras.[http://www.enlou.com/time/year1699.htm enlou]. [[Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville|Bienville]] went on to found the settlement of [[Mobile, Alabama]] in 1702 as the first capital of [[French Louisiana]],<ref name=TLhist>
"Timeline 18th Century:" (events),
Timelines of History, 2007, webpage:
[http://timelines.ws/1700_1724.HTML TLine-1700-1724]:
on "1702-1711" of Mobile.
</ref> and in 1703 the Mardi Gras tradition began with celebrations by the French settlers in that city.<ref name=MGtime/><ref name=LOCgras>
"Mardi Gras in Mobile" (history),
[[Jeff Sessions]], Senator, [[Library of Congress]], 2006, webpage:
[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/legacies/AL/200002665.html LibCongress-2665].
</ref><ref name=MBAYgras>
"Mardi Gras" (history),
Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau, 2007, webpage:
[http://www.mobile.org/ab_mardigras.php/ab_mardigras_history.php MGmobile].
</ref> By 1720, [[Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi]] had been made capital of Louisiana. The French customs were introduced there at that time.<ref name=MGtime/> In 1723, the capital of Louisiana was moved to [[New Orleans]], founded in 1718.<ref name=TLhist/> The tradition there expanded to the point that it became synonymous with that city.<ref name=MGtime/> In more recent times several other U.S. cities without a French Catholic heritage have instituted the celebration of Mardi Gras.

===Alabama===
==== Mobile ====
{{main|Mardi Gras in Mobile}}
[[Image:Mobmardigras1.jpg|thumb|300px| A [[Carnival]] parade in [[Mobile, Alabama|Mobile]] in 2006.]]
Mobile's Carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations revolve around [[mystic society|mystic societies]]. The mystic societies are organizations, very similar to a [[krewe]] in [[New Orleans]], that presents parades, masked balls, and activities for the enjoyment of its members, guests, and the public.<ref name="carnivalterminology"/> Mystic society membership is secret.<ref name="carnivalterminology"/> The mystic societies build colorful Carnival floats and parade throughout downtown Mobile during the Carnival season with masked society members tossing small gifts, known as ''throws'', to the parade spectators,<ref>{{cite news |first=Susan |last=Houston
| title=Mobile; It Has History |work=The News & Observer
| publisher=News & Observer Publishing Company, (Raleigh, NC)
| date=2007-02-04 |accessdate=2007-05-22 }}</ref>
in the form of trinkets, candy, cookies, peanuts, panties, artificial roses, stuffed animals, [[doubloon]]s, cups, hats, can coolers, [[Frisbee]]s, medallion necklaces, bead necklaces of every variety, and [[Moon Pie]]s.<ref name="carnivalterminology"/> Mobile's mystic societies give formal [[masquerade ball]]s, known as bal masqués, which are almost always invitation only and are oriented to adults.<ref name="carnivalterminology"/> Attendance at a ball requires a strict dresscode, or costume [[de rigueur]], be followed. The dresscode usually involves full-length evening gowns, white tie with tails for invited guests, and masked costumes for society members.<ref name="carnivalterminology"/> The balls feature dramatic entertainment, music, dancing, food, and drinks.<ref name="carnivalterminology"/> Balls are usually based upon a theme which is carried out through scenery, decorations, costumes, and a [[tableau vivant]].<ref name="carnivalterminology"/>

[[Image:Joe Cain Chief Slacabamorinico 400px.jpg|thumb|left|[[Joe Cain]] costumed as Chief Slacabamorinico.]]
Mobile first celebrated Carnival in 1703 when French settlers began the festivities at the [[Old Mobile Site]].<ref name=MMtime>{{cite web|title="Mobile Mardi Gras Timeline"|work="The Museum of Mobile"|url=http://www.museumofmobile.com/html/mardi_gras_timeline.php|accessdate=2007-11-14}}</ref> Mobile's first Carnival society was organized in 1704, when Nicholas Langlois founded ''Societe de Saint Louis'',<ref name="SSLouis">{{cite web
| title="The History of Mardi Gras in New Orleans"
| work="GRB Enterprises" | date=2006 |accessdate=2008-01-10
| url=http://www.mardigrasunmasked.com/mardigras/history.htm}}
</ref>
reformed in 1711 as the ''Boeuf Gras Society'' (Fatted Ox Society, 1711-1861).<ref name=CarnHist1>{{cite web|title="History"|work="Mobile Carnival Museum"|url=http://www.mobilecarnivalmuseum.com/History.aspx|accessdate=2007-11-17}}</ref> Mobile's ''Cowbellion de Rakin Society'' was the first formally organized and masked mystic society in the United States to celebrate with a parade in 1830.<ref name=MMtime/><ref name="slacabamorinico"/> The ''Cowbellions'' got their start when a cotton factor from [[Pennsylvania]], Michael Krafft, began a parade with rakes, hoes, and cowbells.<ref name="slacabamorinico">{{cite web | accessdate=2007-11-18
| title="Mardi Gras - Mobile's Paradoxical Party"
| work="The Wisdom of Chief Slacabamorinico"
| url=http://jacksonsnyder.com/arc/slac/MardiGras/paradox.htm}}</ref> The ''Cowbellions'' introduced horse-drawn floats to the parades in 1840 with a parade entitled, "Heathen Gods and Goddesses".<ref name=CarnHist1/> The ''[[Striker's Independent Society]]'' was formed in 1843 and is the oldest remaining mystic society in the United States.<ref name=CarnHist1/> The idea of parading societies was exported to New Orleans in 1856 when six businessmen, formerly of Mobile, gathered at a club room in New Orlean's French Quarter to organize a secret society, inspired by the ''Cowbellion de Rakin Society'', that would observe Mardi Gras with a formal parade. They founded New Orleans' first and oldest krewe, the ''New Orleans Cowbellions'', which later became the ''[[Mistick Krewe of Comus]]''.<ref name="MChamb">{{cite web
| title="History - Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce"
| date=2006 | work=about New Orleans Cowbellions
| url=http://www.mobilechamber.com/history.asp}}
</ref><ref name="LaCour">Arthur B. LaCour, ''New Orleans Masquerade: Chronicles of Carnival'' (Pelican Publishing 1952)</ref> Carnival celebrations in Mobile were cancelled during the American Civil War. Mardi Gras parades were revived by [[Joe Cain]] in 1866 when he paraded through the city streets on [[Fat Tuesday]] while costumed as a fictional [[Chickasaw]] chief named ''Slacabamorinico'', irreverently celebrating the day in front of the occupying [[Union Army]] troops.<ref name=JChist>
"Joe Cain Articles" (newspaper story),
Joe Danborn & Cammie East, ''Mobile Register'', 2001, webpage:
[http://cainsmerrywidows.org/articles.html CMW-history].
</ref> The ''Order of Myths'', Mobile's oldest mystic society which continues to parade, was founded in 1867 and held its first parade on Mardi Gras night in 1868.<ref name=CarnHist1/> The ''Infant Mystics'' also begin to parade on Mardi Gras night in 1868, but later moved their parade to [[Lundi Gras]] (Fat Monday).<ref name=CarnHist1/> The Mobile Carnival Association was formed in 1871 to coordinate the events of Mardi Gras, this year also saw the First Royal Court held with the first king of Carnival, Emperor Felix I.<ref name=CarnHist1/> The ''Comic Cowboys of Wragg Swamp'' were established in 1884, along with their mission of satire and free expression.<ref name=CarnHist1/> The ''Continental Mystic Crew'' mystic society was founded in 1890, it was Mobile's first Jewish mystic society.<ref name=MMtime/> The ''Order of Doves'' mystic society was founded in 1894 and held its first Mardi Gras ball. It was the first organized African American mystic society in Mobile.<ref name=MMtime/> The ''Infant Mystics'', the second oldest society that continues to parade, introduced the first electric floats to Mobile in 1929.<ref name=CarnHist1/> The Colored Carnival Association was founded and had its first parade in 1939, it would later be renamed the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association.<ref name=MMtime/> The ''Order of Osiris'', the first [[LGBT|gay and lesbian]] mystic society in Mobile, held its first ball in 1980.<ref name=CarnHist1/> The 1<sup>st</sup> Mobile International Carnival Ball was held in 1995 with every known Mobile mystic society in attendance.<ref name=CarnHist1/> The year 2002 saw Mobile's Tricentennial celebrated with parades representing every known mystic society.<ref name=CarnHist1/>

===California===
====San Diego====
As of 2005, there is a corporate sponsored party in the [[Gaslamp Quarter]] of downtown [[San Diego]].<ref>"Bourbon Street in San Diego", The San Diego Union-Tribune, February 7, 2005 [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050207/news_1m7mardi.html].</ref> In addition there is a San Diego Brazil Carnival Ball that is part of the San Diego Carnival Mardi Gras season.

====San Luis Obispo====
{{main|San Luis Obispo Mardi Gras controversy}}
Mardi Gras celebrations in San Luis Obispo have been controversial in recent years, with leaders of this Central California city calling for an end to public celebrations in 2005. Civic and university leaders hope to end the event as a state-wide party destination for students.

===Florida===
====Pensacola====
[[Pensacola, Florida]] hosts a Mardi Gras Celebration. The Pensacola celebrations also use ''[[Moon pie|Moon Pies]]'' in combination with beads, coins, candies & Krewe related trades. The [[Pensacola, Florida|Pensacola]] festivities and the Krewes that sponsor them often are more light-hearted and family-oriented than some in other venues. The name of a number of the Krewes are puns of the names of historic Krewes in New Orleans and Mobile.

Pensacola's founding was predominantly Spanish as opposed to the French which dominated the settlement of Mobile and of New Orleans. Pensacola picked up on the "parading" celebration of Mardi Gras in the late 1980s. Pensacola has its parades before Mardi Gras weekend; their parades being on Friday night ("Krewe of Lafitte"), Saturday afternoon (the "Grand Parade"), and the "Krewe of Wrecks" parade on Pensacola Beach on Sunday. They currently have no parades on Mardi Gras day itself.

The krewes in Pensacola are smaller than in Mobile or New Orleans, so typically a parade has floats sponsored by numerous different krewes, rather than a single krewe having their own parade.

===Louisiana===
For Mardi Gras Dates through 2050 see: [[Shrove Tuesday#Dates|''Mardi Gras Dates'']]
====New Orleans====
{{Copyedit|section|date=June 2008}}
{{main|New Orleans Mardi Gras}}
[[Image:CanalStreetRexC1900.jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|Rex in Mardi Gras procession down Canal Street.]]
[[New Orleans' Mardi Gras]] celebration draws hundreds of thousands of [[tourists]] to the city to celebrate with the locals at the famed [[party|parties]] and [[parade]]s. As many as a half-million spectators have been estimated by officials to line the route of the major parades on days marked by comfortable weather. The first Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans were held on March 3, 1748. On that day, a group of French explorers set up camp on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about 60 miles downriver from the current site of New Orleans. The group's leader, Pierre Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville dubbed the spot La Pointe du Mardi Gras. The Rex organization put a marker at the Louisiana site 300 years later.<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-mardi_gras_slider_bdfeb03,1,5480199.story Unmasking 1st Mardi Gras - chicagotribune.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
An account from 1743 notes that the custom of holding Carnival balls was established by that date (during the time [[Bienville]] was governor). On Mardi Gras, there were masques and processions in the streets of the city, although they were, at times, prohibited by law. The celebrations were quickly resumed whenever restrictions were lifted or the enforcement of them was lax. In 1833, [[Bernard de Marigny|Bernard Xavier de Marigny de Mandeville]], a rich plantation owner, raised the money to fund an official Mardi Gras celebration. On Mardi Gras of 1857 the [[Mistick Krewe of Comus]] held its first parade. Comus is the oldest continuously active Mardi Gras organization and originated a number of traditions that continue today (such as the use of floats in parades) and is considered the first Carnival [[krewe]] in the modern sense of the term.
In 1875 Mardi Gras was declared a legal holiday by the state of Louisiana.<ref name="sparks"/> Economic, political, and weather conditions sometimes led to the cancellation of some or all of the major parades, especially during the [[American Civil War]], World War I and World War II, but the celebration of Carnival has always been observed in the city in some way.<ref name="sparks">Sparks, R. [http://nuevomundo.revues.org/document3941.html “American Sodom: New Orleans Faces Its Critics and an Uncertain Future”]. ''La Louisiane à la dérive''. [http://nuevomundo.revues.org/sommaire2899.html#rub3927 The École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales Coloquio] - December 16, 2005.</ref>
[[Image:Making next years float.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Float (parade)|Float]]-making in [[New Orleans]]]]
The last large parades went through the narrow streets of the city's old French Quarter neighborhood in 1972; Larger floats and crowds and safety concerns led the city government to prohibit big parades in the Quarter. In 1991, the New Orleans city council passed an ordinance that required social organizations, including Mardi Gras Krewes, to certify publicly that they did not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation, in order to obtain parade permits and other public licenses.<ref name="nocarnival1">[http://www.carnaval.com/cityguides/neworleans/history.htm Three centuries of Mardi Gras history]. From: carnaval.com. Retrieved October 19, 2007.</ref> The ordinance required these and other private social groups to abandon their traditional code of secrecy and identify their members for the city's Human Relations Commission. In protest, the 19th century krewes Comus and Momus stopped parading.<ref name="deja">[http://www.nola.com/mardigras/about/index.ssf?/mardigras/about/content/stories/history.html Deja Krewe]. ''The Times-Picayune''. Retrieved October 19, 2007.</ref> Proteus did parade in the 1992 Carnival season, but then suspended its parade until 2000 when they returned to the parade schedule. Two federal courts later declared that the ordinance was an unconstitutional infringement on First Amendment rights of free association, and an unwarranted intrusion on the privacy of the groups subject to the ordinance. The Supreme Court refused to hear the city's appeal of their decision. Today, many krewes operate under a business structure - membership is basically open to anyone who pays dues to have a place on a parade float.
[[Image:MardiGrasFlag.gif|left|thumb|Mardi Gras Flag]]
The [[effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans]] in late 2005 caused many to question the future of the city's Mardi Gras celebrations. The city government, essentially bankrupt after the storm, pushed for a massively scaled back celebration to limit strains on city services. However, many krewes insisted that they wanted to and would be ready to parade, so negotiations between krewe leaders and city officials resulted in a compromise schedule, scaled back but less severely than originally suggested. The 2006 New Orleans' Carnival schedule included the [[Krewe du Vieux]] on its traditional route through Marigny and the French Quarter on February 11, the Saturday two weekends before Mardi Gras, then several parades on Saturday, the 18th, and Sunday the 19th, a week before Mardi Gras, followed by six days of parades starting Thursday night, the 23rd, until Mardi Gras Day, the 28th. Other than Krewe du Vieux and two Westbank parades that went through Algiers, all New Orleans parades were restricted to the Saint Charles Avenue Uptown to Canal Street route, a section of the city which escaped significant flooding (some krewes unsuccessfully pushed to parade on their traditional Mid City route, despite the severe flood damage suffered by the neighborhood). Restrictions were placed on the amount of time parades could be on the street and how late they could go.
Louisiana State troopers and National Guard assisted with crowd control for the first time since 1979. Many of the floats had been partially submerged in the floodwaters for weeks. While some krewes repaired and removed all traces of these effects, others incorporated flood lines and other damage into the designs of the floats. Most of the locals who worked on the floats and rode on them were significantly impacted by the storm, and many had lost most or all of their possessions, but their enthusiasm for Carnival was even more intense than usual and celebrated as an affirmation of life. The themes of many costumes and floats had more barbed satire than usual, with commentary on the trials and tribulations of living in the devastated city, with references to [[MRE]]s, [[Katrina refrigerator]]s and [[FEMA trailer]]s, along with much mocking of [[FEMA]], local, and national politicians.

====Baton Rouge====
[[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]] hosts eight parades, including the Krewe of Jupiter and Spanish Town. Parades such as the Krewe of Orion offer more of a traditional [[New Orleans]] style parade. All parades take place downtown, with the exception of the annual Southdowns parade, which runs through the Southdowns subdivision just south of Downtown [[Baton Rouge]].

====New Roads====
[[New Roads, Louisiana]] hosts the state's oldest Mardi Gras celebration outside New Orleans. The family-friendly celebration has been an annual event since 1922 and includes two parades on Fat Tuesday: the Community Center Carnival parade, one of the nation's oldest African-American sponsored events, which rolls in the morning; and the New Roads Lions Carnival parade, the first-known Mardi Gras parade to be staged as a charitable fundraiser, which rolls in the afternoon. Each parade consists of as many as 30 floats built fresh each year and 10 marching bands and drill units. Law enforcement officials have estimated New Roads parade attendance as high as 80,000.

====Lafayette====
[[Lafayette, Louisiana]] is home to the state's second largest Mardi Gras celebration, which includes eight parades of floats and bands during the Carnival season. The first parade, ten days before Mardi Gras, is the celebrity-led Krewe of Carnivale en Rio Parada, featuring over 600 riders. Parade royalty on Fat Tuesday includes King Gabriel and Queen Evangeline, named for the hero and heroine of Longfellow's epic poem, and King Toussaint L'Overture and Queen Suzanne Simonet, named for the great Haitian historical figures. Mardi Gras parades have been an annual tradition in Lafayette since 1934 and attendance on Mardi Gras day has been estimated as high as 250,000 by police spokespersons.
The first formal Mardi Gras ball and parade in Lafayette dates back to 1869 and they haven't stopped celebrating Fat Tuesday here since.
In 1897, King Attakapas, the first Lafayette Mardi Gras king was crowned. He rode into town on a Southern Pacific train decorated to look like a royal throne and led the parade.
After 1897, formal Mardi Gras parades and balls seemed to come and go until 1934 when the Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras association was formed by representatives from civic and service organizations to ensure that Lafayette would always have a Mardi Gras celebration.

====Houma====
[[Houma, Louisiana]] hosts a significant Mardi Gras celebration of nine parades, two of which roll on Mardi Gras day, and the others on the two weekends preceding the big day. King Houmas rules on Fat Tuesday itself, and more than 150,000 have been estimated by law enforcement officials to line the route of his parade in 2008. Mardi Gras has been celebrated annually in Houma since 1947. Krewe of Hercules, Krewe of Aquarius, Krewe of Hyacinthians, Krewe of Aphrodite, Krewe of Mardi Gras, Krewe of Terreanians, Krewe of Cleopatra, Krewe of Houmas, and the Krewe of Kajuns make up the nine parades. For the 2009 Mardi Gras party, Houma is adding a new parade, Krewe of Tut, making the total amount 10, which makes it the second largest in the state. Houma is only about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans.

Go to www.houmatoday.com for updates.

====Alexandria====
[[Alexandria, Louisiana]], which is located in the heart of Central Louisiana (CenLa), enjoys a blend of Mardi Gras traditions, in keeping with the area's reputation as the "cultural crossroads" of the state. In addition to Mardi Gras balls, parties, and other functions, it hosts several parades, including the Alexandria Mardi Gras Association (AMGA) Krewe Parade, traditionally on the Sunday before Mardi Gras, a Children's parade, and the Krewe of Provine Parade, usually held on Mardi Gras Day. In 2008, the "College Cheerleaders and Classic Cars" parade made its debut with warm reception. The area's parades are known for their mix of traditional Mardi Gras fun and revelry with a family-friendly environment, with many people from as far away as Texas and Mississippi traveling to Alexandria for Mardi Gras.

====Other Louisiana cities====
Other cities as well hold Mardi Gras parades, including Thibodeaux, where five parades attract an estimated 20,000 spectators each, [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]], [[Shreveport]], [[La Place, Louisiana|La Place]], [[Minden, Louisiana|Minden]], [[Springhill, Louisiana|Springhill]], [[Natchitoches, Louisiana|Natchitoches]], [[Monroe, Louisiana|Monroe]], [[Columbia, Louisiana|Columbia]], [[Kaplan,Louisiana|Kaplan]] and [[Bogalusa, Louisiana|Bogalusa]]. Mardi Gras is one of the exceptions to [http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=78402 the Louisiana law] against wearing hoods and masks in public, the other two being Halloween and religious beliefs.

[[Image:Courir de mardi gras herbroe 2008.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A traditional Courir de Mardi Gras chases a chicken for use in a communal gumbo.]]

In parts of the [[Cajun]] country, such as [[Eunice, Louisiana|Eunice]], [[Basile, Louisiana|Basile]], [[Church Point, Louisiana|Church Point]] and [[Mamou, Louisiana|Mamou]], the traditional '''Courir de Mardi Gras''' (French for the "Mardi Gras Run") is still run, sometimes by maskers on horseback led by "Le Capitaine" who gather ingredients for making the communal meal (usually a [[gumbo]]). Participants gather in costume and move from home to home requesting ingredients for the night's meal. This rural Mardi Gras draws on traditions that are centuries old as revelers sing "La Chanson de Mardi Gras", a song echoing medieval melodies. People escape from ordinary life partly through the alcohol many consume in their festive quest, but even more through the roles they portray. As they act out their parts in a wild, gaudy pageant, they are escaping from routine existence, freed from the restraints that confine them every other day in the year.<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://www.lsue.edu/acadgate/mardmain.htm www.lsue.edu "Mardi Gras in Rural Acadiana"]</ref> The [[capitaine]] maintains control over the Mardi Gras. He issues instructions to the riders as they assemble early in the morning and then leads them on their run. When they arrive at a farm house, he obtains permission to enter private property, after which the riders may charge toward the house, where the Mardi Gras sing, dance, and beg until the owner offers them an ingredient for a gumbo. Often, the owner will throw a live chicken into the air that the Mardi Gras will chase, like football players trying to recover a fumble. By mid to late afternoon, the courir returns to town and parades down the main street on the way to the location where the evening gumbo will be prepared.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

===Michigan===
====Detroit====
[[Michigan]]'s first Catholic settlers were French, but the Fat Tuesday celebrations of modern times in [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]] stem from more the recent influence of the Polish [[Paczki Day]].

===Mississippi===
====Gulf Coast====
[[Biloxi, Mississippi]] holds a traditional morning parade by the [http://www.gulfcoastcarnivalassociation.com Gulf Coast Carnival Association (GCCA)]. Nearby [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]], holds a traditional night parade sponsored by the Krewe of Gemini. Other parades include evening events in [[Pascagoula, Mississippi|Pascagoula]], [[Ocean Springs, Mississippi|Ocean Springs]], [[D'Iberville, Mississippi|D'Iberville]], [[Gautier, Mississippi]], [[Waveland]], [[Bay St. Louis]], and [[Pass Christian, Mississippi]] just to name a few. Damage from [[Hurricane Katrina]] had led to either deviations from traditional routes or parade cancellations in some locations. They have since become a sign of rebuilding along the coast line. Traditions in Mississippi are closely tied into those of New Orleans, Louisiana and typically the larger floats used in the Mississippi parades by the casinos are actually built in New Orleans. Schools on the gulfcoast usually let out during the 3 day holiday so that they can attend the parades. Much like Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana; The Mississippi Gulf Coast has its own unique societies and Mardi Gras Associations that participate in the float building and annual balls. Most of these parades and balls operate the along the largest main roads of the coast, being Highway 90 and Highway 49. The Biloxi Parade, prior to Katrina, consisted of a morning, noon and night parade. It has since downgraded to 2 parades.

===Missouri===
====St. Louis====
With the area having been claimed as part "[[New France|Louisiana]]" and in 1763, [[Pierre Laclède]] and a small band of men traveled up the Mississippi from [[New Orleans]] to found a post to take advantage of trade coming downstream by the [[Missouri River]], [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]] was founded by the French Catholic heritage.<ref>Hoffhaus. (1984). Chez Les Canses: Three Centuries at Kawsmouth. Kansas City: Lowell Press. ISBN 0-913504-91-2.</ref>. St. Louis hosts the annual St. Louis Mardi Gras festival in the [[Soulard]] neighborhood, usually attracting tens of thousands of revelers. The size of the crowd varies greatly from year to year, with the weather being the biggest factor in determining crowd size. The event is much like the New Orleans celebration in that it hosts several parades during the Mardi Gras season. On the second Saturday before Mardi Gras, there is a family-oriented "[[Krewe]] of Barkus" Beggin' Strips pet parade. Participants consist of anyone who dresses up their pet in costume, and walks their pet along the parade route. The parade is followed by the informal [[Dachshund racing|Wiener dog races]]. Then, on the Saturday before Fat Tuesday, the more adult-oriented, flesh-for-beads parade occurs, although there have been various attempts to reserve a family section at one end of the route. People from all over storm the streets with [[beer]]s and [[bead]] necklaces after the Saturday parade. The streets of Soulard, Geyer, Allen, Russell, Ann, Shenandoah, and others are crowded with people from 7th to 12th Street. The [[Fat Tuesday]] parade occurs in the evening, and in recent years has been moved just north of Soulard to downtown St. Louis.

===Texas===
It started somewhere around 1960 and its last recorded celebration in 2008

====Galveston====
[[Galveston, Texas]] is home to the largest Mardi Gras festival in Texas. The island tradition began in 1867, and includes night parades, masked balls and exquisite costumes.

====Port Arthur====
[[Port Arthur, Texas]] is home to a very fast-growing {{Fact|date=February 2008}} Mardi Gras celebration. It began in 1992.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.carnaval.com/cityguides/neworleans/history.htm Mardi Gras - Myth & History]
* [http://worldmusic.about.com/od/northamerican/p/CajunMardiGras.htm Traditional Cajun Mardi Gras Celebrations]
*[http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1437 Mardi Gras in Mobile, Encyclopedia of Alabama]
* [http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/ Mardi Gras in New Orleans]

[[Category:Mardi Gras|*]]
[[Category:Carnival]]
[[Category:Christian festivals and holy days]]
[[Category:February observances]]
[[Category:French words and phrases]]
[[Category:March observances]]
[[Category:Music festivals in the United States]]
[[Category:Parades]]
[[Category:Religious festivals]]

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Revision as of 00:50, 20 December 2008

Alexas party was tonight
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