It’s Carnival Time in the Big Easy
February 5th, 2010Shelley
That’s Mardi Gras to you. Today, I’m offering a few Mardi Gras basics. Hey, even though we can’t be there, we can at least get in the Carvinal spirit! Carnival refers to the season of revelry before Mardi Gras. It starts on January 6, known as Kings’ Day – named because it falls on the twelfth day of Christmas, the day the Wise Men are said to have reached Bethlehem.
Mardi Gras is always on the Tuesday that is 46 days before Easter. It’s always the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.
Today is the official start of the parade season – it always begins the second Friday before Mardi Gras. According to www.nola.com, parades are held on weekends only at the beginning of the season, then become more frequent until the week prior to Mardi Gras when there’s at least one parade a day. There are nine parades on Mardi Gras – most notably Rex.
Speaking of Rex, he’s considered the king of Mardi Gras and is always a prominent New Orleans businessman.
Every parade has a theme – usually borrowed from mythology, history or Hollywood. Most parades have mock royalty (kings, queens, etc.). This year, Drew Brees (beloved quarterback for the New Orleans Saints) is King Bacchus.
Parades are sponsored by krewes – named for figures in Greek mythology, like Bacchus for the god of wine.
The colors of Carnival are purple, green and gold. Purple is for justice, green is for faith and gold represents power.
This ends today’s lesson. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
