Today Is Mardi Gras – Top 5 Fact You May Not Know

Today (2/16/21) is Mardi Gras, and the Mardi Gras home in the U.S. is New Orleans Louisiana. Many places have celebrations all around the world celebrating this event but there are so many things that "make-up" Mardi Gras I decided to take a closer look at five of the things that make this celebration so very grand.....

5. "Fat Tuesday"
Mardi Gras in French is apparently translated into "Fat Tuesday." Some believe the name of the holiday comes from a fattened ox that was paraded on the streets before being sacrificed. Mardi Gras is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Because individuals fast for lent, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday is considered the "last hoorah" before their 40 day fasting. In the past centuries, individuals spent Mardi Gras stuffing their faces with food and alcohol.

4. Mardi Gras has official colors
The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. The colors have meaning: purple represents justice, green is faith and gold symbolizes power.

3. Mardi Gras = Pancakes Day
In England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada Mardi Gras is known as Pancake Day or "Pancake Tuesday" because the celebration specifically calls for eating pancakes to celebrate the holiday.

2. Parade Floats
The tradition of floats handing stuff out to Parade onlookers started in Renaissance Europe. Back then, parade participants received ale, meat, and even grain. Now it's different, lol, which people throwing beads.

1. Beaded Necklaces
The tradition of throwing beaded necklaces started in the early 1900s, when a float had a Santa Claus throwing glass beaded necklaces into the crowd. It was such a hit, that it soon became a tradition, and that is exactly what Mardi Gras is known for today.

Although the parades have been canceled due to covid-19 for the time being, and despite this being the coldest Mardi Gras on record in New Orleans, the festivities rage on today, so join in where you can and enjoy...even if it's in your own living room!

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