1. Mardi Gras

2. Mardi Gras came to New Orleans through its French heritage in 1699 Early explorers celebrated this French Holiday on the banks of the Mississippi River

3. Mardi Gras Throughout the years, Orleanians have added to the celebrations by establishing krewes (organizations) which host parades and balls Carnival quickly became an exciting time for children & adults

4. What is Fat Tuesday? Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” and is celebrated on that day of the week Fat Tuesday comes the day before Ash Wednesday

5. What is Fat Tuesday? The date can fall between February 3 rd and March 9 th depending on the Lunar calendar, used by the Catholic Church to determine the date of Easter Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday

6. Mardi Gras The official colors for Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold These colors were chosen in 1872 by the King of Carnival, Rex He chose the colors to stand for: Purple- represents Justice Green- stands for faith Gold- stands for power

7. Mardi Gras Parades are put on by carnival krewes (organizations) Each year the organization picks a king and a queen who reign for that parade

8. The floats are decorated to depict different themes Most parades have at least 15 floats

10. Mardi Gras

11. Following the parades, there is a ball presenting the King and Queen with their royal court. Mardi Gras

12. Beads are worn during Mardi Gras to resemble the jewels that royalty would wear

13. King Cakes As part of the celebration of Mardi Gras, it is tradition to bake an oval cake in honor of the three kings- The King Cake The shape of a King Cake symbolizes the unity of faiths

14. King Cake Each cake is decorated in the traditional Mardi Gras colors A small baby, symbolized baby Jesus, is baked into each cake

15. Mardi Gras Three Kings is a Christian reference: On the Christian Calendar, the twelfth day after Christmas is known as “Kings Day” or “Epiphany” It is the day the gift-bearing Magi visited the Baby Jesus, and is celebrated with its own unique rituals