Mardi Gras in the United States: A Colorful CelebrationCarnaval aux Etats-Unis: Une fête colorée

The United States is a country of immigrants, and many of these immigrant communities bring traditions from their old countries to the new. This multicultural background is important to understand when we talk about Mardi Gras (Carnaval) in the United States because it is those communities that organize American Mardi Gras celebrations. Like in France, the USA has a separation of church and state, so Mardi Gras celebrations often are organized by different communities with strong Catholic traditions. This Catholic tradition explains why New Orleans, Louisiana is the city the most known for its Mardi Gras celebration – Louisiana was founded by French explorers and later sold to the United States by Napoléon I!

In New Orleans, Mardi Gras is not just one day, but a week-long celebration leading to Ash Wednesday (Le mercredi des cendres), when Lent (le carême) begins for Catholics. This tradition can indeed be traced to the original French settlers, who would throw balls (elaborate dances) and have parades to celebrate. Today, there are still balls and parades, but they are even more elaborate than they were in the past. In New Orleans, the streets are closed for the parades of many different organizations, called krewes. Each krewe has its own parade and is in charge of decorating their parade’s floats – you can see some examples below:

As they go down the street, the parade participants play music and throw brightly colored necklaces made of plastic beads to the attendees. These necklaces are often called “Mardi Gras beads,” and are often purple, green, and gold, the official colors of the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration. Mardi Gras is so important in New Orleans that many businesses close in the city that day so that the inhabitants can celebrate. Those people who are not in a parade come to watch the parades go by, often in costume themselves.

The celebration in New Orleans is also known for heavy drinking among participants, a negative aspect of the tradition. Before and during the Mardi Gras celebration, New Orleans residents often eat King’s Cake, a round cake with a toy baby hidden inside. If this tradition sounds familiar, that’s because it can be traced back to Louisiana’s French settlers and their celebration of la fête des Rois!

Most importantly, New Orlean’s Mardi Gras celebration is a lot of crazy fun, just like Carnaval in France, so enjoy!

For more information, you can watch these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0YazY8Erwc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpJEYBOb2ro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f38g-oyBjiE#t=44