You may have heard of Mardi Gras as an event at Universal Studios or seen a king cake at Publix, but you probably don’t know the ins and outs of Mardi Gras, literally meaning “Fat Tuesday.” While areas in Miami host events such as Fort Mardi Gras and a Mardi Gras Bar Crawl, the heart of the holiday lies both in France and New Orleans. Mardi Gras always falls the day before Ash Wednesday and is March 5 this year.
History
According to the travel magazine French Moments, Mardi Gras originated as a Catholic tradition of savory food and high spirits. Mardi Gras day marked the end of a week of indulgence in high-fat, high-flavor foods such as beignets, king cake and meaty meals, a means of celebrating food before the upcoming fasting period of Lent. Mardi Gras spread from France to the U.S. when the French established the port of New Orleans in the early 18th century. There, Mardi Gras New Orleans (MGNO), said Louisiana’s governor Marquis de Vaudreuil, coordinated elegant society balls, which eventually developed into a weeks-long celebration of horseback riders, marching bands and fantastical floats carrying krewe members who throw out beads and stuffed animals.
Traditions
A huge part of Mardi Gras is the traditions that come with it. King cakes are one of the most tasty. Every king cake contains a little plastic baby, again tied to Christian faith as a representation of baby Jesus. Whoever finds the baby in their slice must bring the next king cake for the upcoming parade. Another tradition in Mardi Gras is the crowning ceremony. Each parade is hosted by one or several krewes, organizations that MGNO said each have their own histories and themes. During a parade, the chosen king are queen participate in a toasting ceremony and then ride the rest of the route officially crowned. MGNO lists other krewe members as grand marshals, captain, ball captain, pages, dukes and goddesses, all of which ride on the royal float. Different parades, named after the krewes who host them, are designed around annual themes which range from pop culture to media to sports, and the krewe members decorate floats and craft costumes to align with the year’s theme.
While Mardi Gras is all of these things, it is also a time that brings people in an area together. Because parades are organized locally, most attendees will know at least one person riding during the season and get the chance to scream out their name and ask for even more stuff to be thrown at them. While it might seem silly to congregate hoping to catch a ton a beads, this event is a chance for families to reconnect over sweet foods and the common goal of letting go and having fun.
