Mardi Gras With Meaning

Celebrate Fat Tuesday

By Sue Marquette Poremba

Post Hurricane Katrina, Mardi Gras has new meaning. While the often raucous celebration has always been associated with good food and fun, today's Mardi Gras is about pride in the past and holding on to hope for the future, two wonderful reasons to get in on the festivities and throw your own Mardi Gras party.

Celebrating Mardi Gras in the traditional New Orleans way is an excellent way to break up what may be the dullest time of the year. The great thing about a Mardi Gras party is that it doesn't have to be held on Fat Tuesday to be "official." The carnival season runs from January 6 (Epiphany, King's Day, or Twelfth Night) to midnight of Ash Wednesday, although the parties get bigger and more lively the closer you get to Mardi Gras proper. But remember, once Ash Wednesday comes, Lent begins, and hosting a Mardi Gras party would be inappropriate.

Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States goes back to the 1700s. The first U.S. Mardi Gras party was in Mobile, Ala., which was soon followed by Mardi Gras in the area which was soon to be incorporated as New Orleans. The official Mardi Gras colors – purple, gold and green – were chosen in 1872 by the King of the Carnival. The colors do have specific meanings, according to Party City: Purple signifies justice, gold signifies power and green signifies faith. Today, no Mardi Gras party is complete without some decorations in these colors.

Beads are a must-have item at any Mardi Gras celebration. At parades, they are known as "throws," and are tossed from passing floats. In New Orleans, beads are tossed from spectators on French Quarter balconies to people walking the streets. For home parties, beads can be used as decorations, hanging from light fixtures or spread out on tables among food dishes. Guests can be greeted with beads upon entering the home.

Want to see more?

• King Me! Fantastic Confections a Part of Mardi Gras History
• Mardi Gras Chicken
• Party Planning: The Forgotten Concept
• Talk about it!