History Of Mardi Gras

Photo Credits: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/shrove-tuesday

Mardi Gras is celebrated every year the day before Ash Wednesday, or, if you will, 47 days before Easter in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year, Mardi Gras took place on February 21st. The history of Mardi Gras is quite interesting. Mardi Gras can be traced back to medieval Europe, and it was even celebrated by the royal family in France. In March of 1699, a French-Canadian explorer landed 60 miles from where present-day New Orleans is located. He named the land “Pointe du Mardi Gras” and established the military settlement “Fort Louis de la Louisiane” in 1702. In 1703, the fort celebrated the first Mardi Gras in America. In 1704, a secret society (Masque de la Mobile) was created, and their members were the original Mardi Gras krewes. “Krewes” are the people that plan the activities of the Mardi Gras celebration. This secret society was only in effect for five years, but by the next year, the “Boeuf Gras Society” was made.This krewe society lasted from 1711 through 1862. By the 1730’s, Mardi Gras was celebrated in the recently established New Orleans, but without the parades that we now so closely associated with the holiday. About ten years later, the governor of New Orleans established the elegant society balls, the forerunners of the modern-day Mardi Gras balls. About a hundred years later, the phenomenal parades that we all know today started to take place with carriages, horseback riders, and flambeaux (torches) lighting the way. Now, Mardi Gras is an unofficial holiday in America (besides in Louisiana) that is celebrated all over the United States.

Information Credit: https://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/history/