I just had to do it this year. I had to talk about Mardi Gras! Truly, it’s always been a holiday I’ve enjoyed, partially because everyone does it a bit differently! Growing up I’ve had friends from all different backgrounds, religions, etc. But we all celebrated Mardi Gras somehow.
Looking to celebrate Mardi Gras this year? Here’s a simple introduction to the holiday, and a way to kick start your party with a few essentials.
History of Mardi Gras
What is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras is often also referred to as Fat Tuesday, a holiday that marks an end and a beginning. It’s a time to feast and mark the end of the Carnival celebrations, before the start of more humbled fasting during Lent (beginning with Ash Wednesday which occurs the day after Mardi Gras).
This feast is a time to eat and enjoy everything that you won’t be able to for 40 days when you’re fasting for Lent.
Mardi Gras in New Orleans
While the oldest recorded existence of Mardi Gras is in 1703 in Mobile, Alabama, the US experience of the holiday has its home in New Orleans, Louisiana.
According to mardigrasneworleans.com (THE premiere site on the web for all things Mardi Gras) the festival as we know it in New Orleans can be traced to medieval Europe. It was here and then that the French tradition of “Boeuf Gras”, or fatted calf, traveled to the colonies including modern-day New Orleans.
In France, this tradition was how the end of Carnival was celebrated before Lent.
If we want to find origins of what we know of today as New Orleans we need to fast forward. According to mardigrasneworleans.com, by the 1780’s we began seeing carnival organizations form all through New Orleans.
This then blossomed into street processions, horseback riders, and eventually floats that became the extravagant moving works of art we see today.
Mardi Gras Around the World
This is where we REALLY see the tie-ins with Mardi Gras and Carnival. Carnival is celebrated all over the world! While looked at a bit differently all over, Carnival in its many iterations can be found in Italy, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, and Germany!
Germany calls it differently depending on the region. You most likely call it Fastnacht, some areas (mainly East and South Germany) call it Fasching, and in Rheinland it’s referred to as Karneval.
How to Celebrate Mardi Gras At Home
There are 2 EASY ways to celebrate Mardi Gras at home! One is enjoying the mask wearing tradition with your family and friends, and the second (a fav of mine) is baking a king cake!
Mardi Gras Masquerade
Mask wearing for Mardi Gras has a fascinating history (like the holiday itself). The mask wearing has come from multiple traditions and overall meaning freedom for whomever wore one! Today, they’re a mainstay during Mardi Gras, and everyone wears one. Here’s a few ideas for making your own!
Mardi Gras King Cake
Okay, you’ve got your masks. Now what can you enjoy with them? Why a king cake of course!
The king cake is a reference to Epiphany, when the Carnival celebration begins. Here you have the baby Jesus represented by a plastic baby baked in the cake. If the baby is in your slice, that’s good luck!
If you’re looking for a good recipe for your own I can’t recommend this one enough! And if you’re looking for something a bit closer to the real thing, here’s a selection of New Orleans bakeries that sell King Cakes!
