It’s almost that time of year again! Time for the fun filled weeks of Mardi Gras! Yes, I said weeks! It’s the one time of year that you just let yourself GO! You know, Mardi Gras does not happen all over the world, so once you get a taste of it you will wish it did happen all over…{the world that is}.
Other cities famous for Mardi Gras celebrations include Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Sydney in Australia, Quebec City,Quebec in Canada; Mazatlán, Sinaloa in Mexico; and New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States. We all know New Orleans is the BEST so far!
I am sure you are wondering why I am doing a post about this and it is only January and Mardi Gras isn’t until March 8th, 2011. Incase you are not familiar, Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods {yay} before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which starts on Ash Wednesday. Did you learn anything yet…:)
It’s really interesting because Mardi Gras festivities begin January 6th and last until March 8th. Yep! that is right. WE DO IT BIG IN THE SOUTH. Yesterday I walked into a local grocery store and {picture lights shining and bells ringing right here} I ran into a table of King Cakes. When you see these in the stores then you know it’s time to start celebrating.
There are a few things that make the King Cake special, one of them is the “plastic baby” that is put inside. When I was younger they used to bake them into the cakes and you just prayed that your piece had the baby in it!!! The Baby is said to represent Baby Jesus and the person who gets the piece of cake with the baby in it has certain privileges and obligations {such as buying the cake for the next year’s celebration}.
Unless you are a kid!
The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted bread similar to that used in brioche topped with icing or sugar, usually colored purple, green, and gold (the traditional Carnival colors) with food coloring. Cajun king cakes are traditionally deep-fat-fried as a doughnut would be, and there are many variants, some with a filling, the most common being cream cheese and praline.
I thought I would share some great moments from Mardi Gras 2010.
I have to tell you about Mardi Gras in New Orleans. First of all, it’s CRAZY!!!! For real, it’s is something that does not happen anywhere else! I promise if you come you will have stories to tell for the rest of your life.
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Yes, the lady who “stepped” into my picture was passed out, {sitting UP}… Did I mention that you will only have stories to tell if you actually remember them 🙂 The picture on the right is my friend Ne and myself having a BUHLAST!!!
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| You will find everyone dressed up in the greatest costumes and don’t worry about asking them to take a picture with you because that is what they live for!!! |
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| I think one of the greatest things about New Orleans is that you will always see policemen on horses. And the horses are HUGE, and friendly… |
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| If you know anything about Mardi Gras in Nola, then you know it’s all about the Balcony and the Beads… |
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| The parades. The best parades happen during Mardi Gras. I mean, the parades start like 3 weeks before Mardi Gras. I know, us Southerners like to party!!! |
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| And did I mention you will see the BEST costumes EVER during this time! |
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| I am not sure what I am doing right here…..I think I was trying to warm up with the “wolf”. If you are not familiar with the “wolf” you can click here to read more about it…. LOL. The wonderful face is from our camp. What great things happen there. And last but not least is my friend taking a picture of me, taking a picture of her… It’s our yearly ritual… I hope you enjoyed a preview of what Mardi Gras is like…. Hope to see you there!!! |
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