Happy Mardi Gras! Here at the Castle Fat Tuesday is one of our favorite holidays. Mainly because we like to eat King Cake. But there are a lot of misconceptions about Mardi Gras. Often I get asked some pretty crazy questions about Mardi Gras and what it represents. So much so that I thought that I would share just a few fun facts about Mardi Gras with you.
What is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French.
The Mardi Gras season or Carnival season begins on January 6, Epiphany, the day that the Wise Men found the baby Jesus, and ends on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday the beginning of the Lenten season.
Ash Wednesday is the beginning of lent, so Fat Tuesday has always been a celebration of enjoying all things before Lent begins.
What are the official colors of Mardi Gras and what do they mean?
The official colors of Mardi Gras are purple, which represents Justice.
Gold, which represents Power.
Green which represents Faith.
How old is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras dates back to March of 1699!
So…. really old!
Is Mardi Gras only in New Orleans on Bourbon Street?
Nope.
And it’s not all about boobs and beads either.
Several parades take place all over the city of New Orleans .
Including family neighborhoods.
It’s also celebrated coastally.
Mobile, Alabama claims to be the 1st city in North America to host Mardi Gras.
What is King Cake and when do you eat it?
King Cake is very similar to a cinnamon roll.
It is sometimes filled cream cheese, raspberry filling etc.
My favorite King Cake is with a simple butter, sugar and cinnamon filling.
What sets King Cake apart from other cakes is that a small baby, representing Jesus, is hidden inside the cake.
Whoever finds the baby is said to have good luck for the rest of the year.
So Yummy!
King Cake is only eaten during the Mardi Gras season.
Fact: It’s illegal to ride a float in New Orleans without wearing a mask!
As crazy as it sounds, this is true and was put into law at the beginning of NOLA celebrating the Mardi Gras season.
The theory behind it was to get rid of social constraints for the day.
If no one knew who you were, then you were allowed to mingle with all classes of people.
Today is just tradition that the city still enforces.
So that’s all of the fun facts about Mardi Gras that I have for you today.
While I am certainly no expert about all things Mardi Gras, I hope that I’ve given you a few fun things to think about on Fat Tuesday!
Happy Mardi Gras Y’all!
Until next time….
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