Mardi Gras, put-simply

What is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras, the week long celebration leading up to "Fat Tuesday", is the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Christian season of Lent. Depending on the calendar, this day can fall between the dates of February third and March ninth, yet it is always forty seven days before Easter Sunday.

How is Mardi Gras celebrated?
Mardi Gras first came to America from the French in New Orleans. New Orleans has the largest and well known Mardi Gras celebration in America. At the celebration, tourists are drawn to the city for a weekend of partying and music. There are a multitude of parties and parades, especially in the French Quarter and Bourbon Street.

New Orleans has developed a unique tradition of establishing Krewes, or organizations that put on balls and parades during this holiday season. Each Krewe puts out a unique parade that has one king or queen selected by the Krewe members. The parade includes numerous marching bands and floats, accompanied by Krewe members. Throughout the parade, bead necklaces and other Mardi Gras products are thrown out to the crowd as a means of celebrating Mardi Gras. There are many other unique Mardi Gras celebrations scattered throughout the world.

What do the colors of Mardi Gras resemble?
The colors of Mardi Gras are purple, gold, and green. These can be seen everywhere during the holiday, such as on beaded necklaces and clothing.

The purple represents justice,
The green represents faith.
The gold represents power.