Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana is one of the most famous Carnival celebrations in the world.
The season of parades, balls (some of them masquerade balls), and king cake parties begins on that date.
From about two weeks before, through Fat Tuesday, there is at least one major parade each day. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the season. In the final week of Carnival many events large and small occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities.
The parades in New Orleans are organized by Carnival krewes. Krewe float riders toss throws to the crowds; the most common throws are strings, usually made of plastic colorful beads, doubloons (aluminium or wooden dollar-sized coins usually impressed with a krewe logo), decorated plastic throw cups, and small inexpensive toys. Major krewes follow the same parade schedule and route each year.
To New Orleanians, "Mardi Gras" refers only to the final and most elaborate day of the Carnival Season; visitors tend to refer to the entire Carnival as "Mardi Gras." Some locals have thus started to refer to the final day of Carnival as "Mardi Gras Day" to avoid confusion.
The t
raditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors are said to have been chosen by Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff Alexandrovitch of Russia during a visit to New Orleans in 1872.
Each year; the Mardi Gras (or Carnival) season starts on January 6, also known as Twelft Night. The Twelfth Night Revelers, one of Carnival's oldest Krewes, holds a masked ball each year to mark the occasion. Like Twelfth Night Revelers, many of Carnival's oldest groups - such as the Elves of Oberon and the High Priests of Mithras - hold masked balls, but do not parade in public.
The parade season starts off some three weekends before Mardi Gras Day with the Krewe du Vieux parade.
The season of parades, balls (some of them masquerade balls), and king cake parties begins on that date.
From about two weeks before, through Fat Tuesday, there is at least one major parade each day. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the season. In the final week of Carnival many events large and small occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities.
The parades in New Orleans are organized by Carnival krewes. Krewe float riders toss throws to the crowds; the most common throws are strings, usually made of plastic colorful beads, doubloons (aluminium or wooden dollar-sized coins usually impressed with a krewe logo), decorated plastic throw cups, and small inexpensive toys. Major krewes follow the same parade schedule and route each year.
To New Orleanians, "Mardi Gras" refers only to the final and most elaborate day of the Carnival Season; visitors tend to refer to the entire Carnival as "Mardi Gras." Some locals have thus started to refer to the final day of Carnival as "Mardi Gras Day" to avoid confusion.
The t
raditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. These colors are said to have been chosen by Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff Alexandrovitch of Russia during a visit to New Orleans in 1872.Each year; the Mardi Gras (or Carnival) season starts on January 6, also known as Twelft Night. The Twelfth Night Revelers, one of Carnival's oldest Krewes, holds a masked ball each year to mark the occasion. Like Twelfth Night Revelers, many of Carnival's oldest groups - such as the Elves of Oberon and the High Priests of Mithras - hold masked balls, but do not parade in public.
The parade season starts off some three weekends before Mardi Gras Day with the Krewe du Vieux parade.
