Mardi Gras in New Orleans is an event that must be seen to be appreciated! The Mardi Gras season officially begins on Twelfth Night and continues until the day before Ash Wednesday. It is a time of celebration and release from inhibitions ending at midnight on Fat Tuesday, or MARDI GRAS DAY!

Some Mardi Gras History

Twelfth Night, the twelfth night after Christmas, is King's Day, when the three wise men of the Bible are said to have visited the Christ Child. It is celebrated in New Orleans by the baking and eating of "king cakes," circular rings of "coffee cake" dough sprinkled with colored granulated sugar. Inside the cake a tiny doll, or bean, is hidden. The guest who "gets" the doll gives the next party, and so it goes on weekly until Mardi Gras.

The feast of Mardi Gras was brought to America by Iberville and Bienville, when they christened the bayou they discovered on March 3, 1699, Mardi Gras Bayou. They had found it on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday.

The first parade was held in 1837. The first float, a papier mache' creation, appeared in 1839.

• The Mystick Krewe of Comus was born in 1857
• The Twelfth Night Revelers emerged in 1870
• Rex, the King of Carnival, held his first reign in 1872
• The Knights of Momus made their debut in 1872

Rex had been organized to honor the visit of the Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff Alexandrovitch, of pre-revolutionary Russia, to New Orleans. He had made an amorous pursuit of Lydia Thompson, a singer, who had sung a song entitled, "If Ever I Cease to Love." The bands at the Mardi Gras balls obligingly played this song, which became the theme song of Mardi Gras, and has remained the theme song for over a century.

Rex also introduced the Mardi Gras colors: purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.

In 1871, the Twelfth Night Revelers established two carnival traditions. A queen was introduced for the first time at a carnival ball, and the throwing of trinkets was begun by a member of the organization. Both traditions remain to this day in almost all carnival organizations. Some other organizations that date back to the 19th century and are still active are:

• 1890 Atlanteans
• 1894 the Elves of Oberon
• 1896 Nereus
• 1897 Mithras

No Mardi Gras celebrations were held for two years during World War I, for four years during World War II, and in 1951, during the Korean War. In 1951, the Krewe of Mars (War) paraded in place of Rex.

The two weeks before Mardi Gras Day, daily parades, sometimes several in one day, traverse the various streets of New Orleans, and the surrounding Parishes, drawing crowds from around the world, hoping to catch trinkets and beads tossed out.

Each organization, or krewe, pays for its own parade and ball. The parades are a gift to the people of the city; the balls are private parties for the entertainment of the friends of krewe members. Each krewe has its own theme and colors, and tosses beads and trinkets accordingly.

While most of the items thrown during the parade are worthless plastic bobbles, some of the more valued beads are made of glass and are extremely sought after. People will do almost anything to receive one!

Future Dates of Mardi Gras

The fluctuating date of Mardi Gras goes back several centuries to when the Catholic Church established a fixed date for Christmas, but moveable dates for other religious holidays. Easter was set to coincide with the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the Spring Equinox. Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 23 and April 25, Mardi Gras is then scheduled 47 days before Easter and can occur on any Tuesday from February 3 through March 9.

February 5, 2008 February 24, 2009 February 16, 2010 March 8, 2011 February 21, 2012 February 12, 2013 March 4, 2014 February 17, 2015

February 9, 2016 February 26, 2017 February 13, 2018 March 5, 2019 February 25, 2020 February 16, 2021 March 1, 2022

 "Throw me something, mister, its my birthday!"

In look for me celebrating and enjoying the good times at Mardi Gras!