Let the Good Times Roll
Kathryn Wood
Kathryn Wood
Mardi Gras, an outrageous celebration in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, constant parties and parades with whimsical masks and fabulous costumes. It celebrates partying and gorging on food but it also has religious connections. It is a very localized holiday because non-natives are not familiar with the holiday and usually do not even know it exists.
This holiday can last a varying amounts of weeks year to year, but it always begins on January sixth, the Feast of the Epiphany 12 days after Christmas, and lasts until Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras is french for “Fat Tuesday” hence the name). Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, a Catholic holiday that signifies the beginning of Lent which is an annual fast. During Lent, Catholics tend to give up a few material things that are distracting them from their relationship with Jesus, Mardi Gras is the time let loose, indulge in all things material, and fill up on food before the fasting period of Lent.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Mardi Gras began in medieval Europe in France. In 1699, a guy named Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville plotted a piece of land just south of New Orleans and named it “Pointe du Mardi Gras” then realized it was the eve of the holiday and decided to hold the party in the french colonial state of louisiana, which was the first ever celebration in North America. He also established land in the Mobile, Alabama area and the celebration spread there. That is how Mardi Gras came to America.
Modern day Mardi Gras, in certain areas of the south are more mature and others are more kid friendly but it varies from town to town. In New Orleans, the celebration is filled with drunk party goers wandering Bourbon Street and the French Quarter at night. During the day, the parades are not as filled with alcohol and have more children attending, same thing goes for other large cities in states such as Mississippi and Alabama. Smaller towns have more kid oriented parades with beads, candy, and small toys being thrown out from the floats. Schools in these states have parades as well which display the same kid friendly vibes.
The whole point of Mardi Gras is to enjoy life and have fun. It is an amazing experience to have at least once in your life. Whether you are in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, or in Birmingham, Alabama it always a good time and good memories. In Georgia it is not as huge of a celebration but if you go down south around the Mississippi River in January or February then you will have a good time at a parade and do not forget a bag for all your beads. So if you like to party, live life, and have fun Mardi Gras is surely the holiday for you. “Laissez les bon temps rouler”(Let the good times roll). Happy Mardi Gras!
This holiday can last a varying amounts of weeks year to year, but it always begins on January sixth, the Feast of the Epiphany 12 days after Christmas, and lasts until Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras is french for “Fat Tuesday” hence the name). Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, a Catholic holiday that signifies the beginning of Lent which is an annual fast. During Lent, Catholics tend to give up a few material things that are distracting them from their relationship with Jesus, Mardi Gras is the time let loose, indulge in all things material, and fill up on food before the fasting period of Lent.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Mardi Gras began in medieval Europe in France. In 1699, a guy named Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville plotted a piece of land just south of New Orleans and named it “Pointe du Mardi Gras” then realized it was the eve of the holiday and decided to hold the party in the french colonial state of louisiana, which was the first ever celebration in North America. He also established land in the Mobile, Alabama area and the celebration spread there. That is how Mardi Gras came to America.
Modern day Mardi Gras, in certain areas of the south are more mature and others are more kid friendly but it varies from town to town. In New Orleans, the celebration is filled with drunk party goers wandering Bourbon Street and the French Quarter at night. During the day, the parades are not as filled with alcohol and have more children attending, same thing goes for other large cities in states such as Mississippi and Alabama. Smaller towns have more kid oriented parades with beads, candy, and small toys being thrown out from the floats. Schools in these states have parades as well which display the same kid friendly vibes.
The whole point of Mardi Gras is to enjoy life and have fun. It is an amazing experience to have at least once in your life. Whether you are in New Orleans, Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, or in Birmingham, Alabama it always a good time and good memories. In Georgia it is not as huge of a celebration but if you go down south around the Mississippi River in January or February then you will have a good time at a parade and do not forget a bag for all your beads. So if you like to party, live life, and have fun Mardi Gras is surely the holiday for you. “Laissez les bon temps rouler”(Let the good times roll). Happy Mardi Gras!
