Today is Fat Tuesday! Mardi Gras, “Fat Tuesday”, is the last day of the Carnival season as it always falls the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. There is usually a carnival season that starts the day of Epiphany and ends on that Tuesday before Lent.
Mardi Gras is music, parades, picnics, floats, excitement ... and one big holiday in New Orleans! Everyone is wearing purple, green, and gold; and adorned with long beads caught from the beautiful floats. They sit on the ground throwing balls, playing music, having a picnic, and watching the crowds walk by between parades.
How do we know which Tuesday it will be year to year? Ash Wednesday is always 46 days before Easter and Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Easter can fall on any Sunday from March 23 to April 25 with the exact date to coincide with the first Sunday after the full moon following a Spring Equinox! There you have it!
The Meaning and Origin of Purple, Green, and Gold in Mardi Gras
Rex selected the official Mardi Gras colors in 1872. The 1892 Rex Parade theme Symbolism of Colors gave meaning to the colors:
purple represents justice;
green, faith; and
gold, power.
Here are some of our Mardi Gras Craft Party pictures from last year.
 |
| Our King Cake |
 |
| Mardi Gras beads on the light fixture |
 |
| Our Punch |
 |
| The kids made the centerpiece, its a Mardi Gras Float! |
The kids are really looking forward to celebrating Mardi Gras this year. We we be incorporating much of the same this year as last year.
No comments:
Post a Comment