Mardi Gras in Lake Charles- Actual Fat Tuesday!
Now, faithful readers, it is time for a culture and history lesson. I was aware of Mardi Gras in general, but I was unsure of the reasons behind some of the specific Mardi Gras traditions here in Louisiana. Landon and I learned about Mardi Gras at story time at the library, and I supplemented that with the interweb. Here's what I found out: 12th Night Revelers- the first krewe to throw things! Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French. It started in Italy as Carnival and spread to France, and eventually to the French colonies. This day was celebrated as the last day to eat meat and fatty foods before Lent. It is a moving holiday because Lent covers the 40 days before Easter, and Lent involves some sort of fasting in preparation for Easter. Everyone would have a big party to get rid of the butter and meat left in their pantries. The first Mardi Gras celebration was in the early 1700s in a French colony in Mobile. The first celebration in New Orleans was in 1730s. The gove...