The elaborate floats, the tri-colored beads, the music and the food — what’s not to love? Every year, Mardi Gras festivities sweep across the U.S. with their celebratory spirit.
The celebration starts in January with the observance of Twelfth Night, a day in the Christian calendar that marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas, and continues through the year with festivities on the weekends and various weekdays, culminating with the famous Fat Tuesday celebration, observed on the last day before the start of Lent. The types and traditions of the celebration vary from location to location, but regardless of the setting, participants are ensured a good time.
While New Orleans is renowned for its Mardi Gras festivities, the celebration is observed all over the country, including Florida. Whether you want to attend a colorful parade or throw your own Mardi Gras get-together, here are some of the most famous traditions to incorporate into your festive fun.
Parades
Parades are a well-known hallmark of Mardi Gras, but the many types of parades are less known. Mardi Gras parades can be a combination of a variety of different parades including truck parades, rolling parades, walking parades and more. Each parade is put on by a krewe, or an organization of members who stage a parade or other event for the carnival celebrations, and has a distinct style and design.
Krewes
Like the types of parades, the types, sizes and styles of each krewe can vary. Some of the most well known include royalty krewes like Rex, which gave Mardi Gras its official colors — purple, green and gold — and Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, an African American krewe. Other krewes like Endymion, Bacchus, Hermes and Orpheus are named after Greek gods and goddesses and have their own stylistic floats and parades. There are even parades for our four-legged friends put on by The Mystic Krewe of Barkus and Krewe de Paws. If there’s one thing to learn, it’s that the massive numbers of krewes and distinct designs make sure that everyone, regardless of taste, can have something to enjoy.
Beads and trinkets
Beads, trinkets, small cups, doubloons and more are other staples of the Mardi Gras festivities. Normally thrown by the members of the krewes to the parade attendees, the tradition was started in the early 1870s by the Twelfth Night Revelers and has continued through today as a way to show off festive spirit.
Masks
Mardi Gras masks are also the perfect way to celebrate, whether you’re at a parade or a party. Masks range in designs and intricacy and started as a way to overcome constraints of class and society. The idea is that while wearing a mask, you can be anyone you want to be and mingle with anyone you want.
