MARDI GRAS IN LOUISIANA What's the first city that comes to mind when you think about Mardi Gras? The obvious answer is New Orléans, Louisiana, but Mardi Gras is celebrated all over the state of Louisiana. The first Mardi Gras took place about 60 miles downriver from New Orleans in Iberville parish on March 3rd, 1699. The location is called Mardi Gras point today and even though it's the official birthplace of Mardi Gras, it lives in the shadow of New Orleans for some odd reason. In my opinion, the best way to think about Mardi Gras is a spirit of celebration, togetherness, and southern pride that sweeps across Louisiana. Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday in English signifies carnival celebrations and feasts before Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten season in which Christians fast and it takes place on February 28th this year. …show more content…
This can be easy or a pain in the butt depending on which city you attend as crowds may vary. A good rule of thumb is to always arrive early. Tailgating is one of my favorite things about Mardi Gras. As soon as we get a good spot we fire up the grill and boilers and start cooking. Along with the normal tailgating foods like brats and burgers, in southern Louisiana, we also have jambalaya, gumbo, dirty rice, crawfish, and king cake. King cake is the official food of Mardi Gras. King cake is similar to a cinnamon roll in texture, but in the shape of a doughnut with icing on top. A baby Jesus is baked into the king cake to symbolize Jesus revealing himself on the "twelfth night" or Epiphany in the Christian faith. The person who finds baby Jesus inside of the king cake is said to have good luck for the rest of the year. Before you even realize it you will be elbow to elbow with other parade goers and everyone's tailgating party will have merged together into one big celebration. This celebration embodies the spirit of Mardi