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Mardi Gras |
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Mardi Gras Festival - A fun filled fasting carnival
Mardi gras is the term used to refer to the celebration prior the fasting season of lent. Also known as shrove or fat Tuesday and pancake or dollar day. The festival is considered as the carnival period between epiphany or the 12th night and Ash Wednesday. The cities famous for celebrating it are Rio de Janeiro, Alabama, Brazil, Sydney, Australia and New Orleans.
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The Parade of Mardi Gras is considered as a season rather than an event. The festival begins with 12th day of Christmas according to Europeans. It is interesting to note that December 25th is the first day of Christmas whereas January 6th the twelfth day. The word Mardi Gras paints a picture of music, parades, fun and holiday before us. But it has lot more to offer as it is rooted within the two Christian holidays. This is feasting period and it is believed to have its origin at the time when egg, meat and butter were prohibited during the forty day fasting period of lent. Refrigerators were not in use during those times so these foods need to be consumed on the day before Ash day itself. The common term "Fat Tuesday" used for Mardi Gras depicted the tradition of eating rich food on the day before Ash Wednesday that is Tuesday. It is quite unpopular that this festival is a one day affair instead it is a two week celebration.
Mardi Gras is linked with carnivals and colorful parade. Carnival is a Latin phrase, Carne Vale, meaning farewell to flesh. It signals the time of fasting and repentance. It denotes the entire season of celebrating and fasting while Mardi Gras is used in reference to the Tuesday that precedes Ash Wednesday. Still many people make use of this term to refer to the entire season.
People in the Roman Catholic countries around the world still maintain the tradition of carnivals. In the cities of Alabama, New Orleans and Louisiana the festival is celebrated with ultimate zeal and vigor. The entire city nearly stops functioning to mark the day of Mardi Gras. For this purpose, the city hall is closed, trash pickup is halted and even some banks are closed to allow the employees to spend the day with their family and friends. The colorful parades are an integral part of this festival so families get up early to grab a perfect spot to get the glimpse of the festivities. They bring lawn chairs and blankets along with them to enjoy the day. You can also see them bringing their portable barbeque grills and ice chests. People wait eagerly to shake their leg to a number of dance tunes along with the procedure of fasting. So here we offers complete information about schedules of Mardi Gras parade, celebration news, videos, photos, Mardi Gras party ideas and much more. |
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