Mardi Gras in USA

time immemorial. Whether it is Christmas or Eid or Diwali

or the Chinese New year or the hundreds of festivals which are held all across the world; festivals lend an air of celebration in the air.

festivals which have all some history behind it. Even regional

or national festivals are a result of some story, custom or tradition which is connected to them. Festivals give all of us a chance to celebrate the little joys of life and also give us time to get together with our family and friends.

come together and celebrate the little joys of life. Although

it is celebrated in many countries around the world which have a large Roman Catholic population, the celebrations of Mardi Gras which take place in New Orleans are amongst they best known. –on the day before the religious season of Lent begins.

on the last day before the religious season of Lent

begins for Christians. Every year millions of people visit New Orleans just to be a part of this grand festival.

started – with some historians believing that the roots of

Mardi Gras lie in the ancient rituals of fertility performed by different tribes while a different section believing that these celebrations were a reward for surviving harsh winters and for welcoming the spring- it is celebrated in a grand way in New Orleans.

to April 25, Mardi Gras day can take place on

any Tuesday from February 3 through March 9.

Gras which lasts for two weeks. Almost every day at

least one parade is held to celebrate the festival with some days having several large parades. The parades are led by ‘Kings’ and ‘Queens’ and are manned by ‘krewes’ who throw away trinkets at the begging crowds. The king or queen leads the parade either in a special float or in a convertible or on horseback.

city government pressed for funds, has since pushed for a

scaled back celebration in order to limit strains on city services. But this has not led to the dampening of spirits of krewes and parade organizers who although have scaled down their celebrations a bit still succeed to make Mardi Gras a celebration for both the locals as well as the tourists.

first to roll and delight the observers which is followed

by the Rex parade. This is then followed by a number of smaller parading clubs all of which end on The Canal Street.

all inhibitions and let lose before they start their abstinence

period for Easter from the next day.