The Symbolization in Mardi Gras Festival

Introduction

As mark Twain once said, an American has not seen the united states until he has send mardi gras. This statement might seem like an exaggeration but people from all over the world come and seen this time honored tradition come to life. Mardi gras, carnival, or Fat Tuesday is known to be a huge party filled with debaturary and drunkenness. But to those who have actually attend know that it more of a celebration of life with traditions and events passed down from generation to generation with them all starting in mobile Alabama. I remember my first trip to New Orleans and seeing the deep rich culture of this connected community all throughout the city and now especially since I live in the south I feel even more connected. Through my research I have found out how mardi gras got started, the different traditions and what mardi gras is like today. Transition: Now let start with the history of mardi gras.

Body

History

Mardi gras is a holiday that dates back thousand of years to the pagan celebrations of spring and fertility. It is the prelude to lent, which is the 40 days of spiritual fasting between ash wednesday and easter. According to history. com, french explorers are the ones who brought the celebration first to the states. Then spanish governors took control and had banned these festivities. But years later, the french brought mardi gras back to the city of new orleans for good. According to mardi gras new orleans. com, In order to preserve the festivities, a secret society of men called the mystic krewe of comus took over. where they planned the first official Mardi gras parade in 1857 to show off their organization and power transition: now we know a little about the history we are going to learn about the different traditions embedded in it the celebration.

Traditions

One thing mardi gras is known for is the different parades and beads thrown. Behind each parade there is a different krewe. These social organizations work all years to plan out different balls and parades. These crews date back to the mid nineteenth century. According to Hotel Monteleone Website In 1857, The Mistick Krewe of Comus was the first secret society to host a parade. Now, many different parade krewes exist, and oftentimes a krewe will feature a celebrity rider as the king or queen of the parade that year. With each Krewes parade having its own separate theme and story. The colors of mardi gras are purple, gold, and green and are seen everywhere wherever mardi gras festivals are. But these colors have a meaning, starting from the krewe of REX during their parade in 1892 which they threw out these different colored beads. these colors purple stands for justice, green represents faith, and gold symbolizes power. They are also thought to be resembled Each of these can be seen on builds, clothing, and are still used today.

Another famous tradition is the infamous king cake. This cake is an oval shaped delicacy and is thought to be a cross between a french pastry and coffee cake. it is decorated in the mardi gras royal colors of purple, gold, and green. Inside a tiny plastic baby is hidden inside which may seem odd but according to manny’s king cakes. com it symbolizes when jesus showed himself to the three wiesemen. ” So as a symbol of this holy day, a tiny plastic baby is hidden inside each king cake. ” and the trasion goes that when the cake is served, whoever has the piece containing the baby they are named king for the day and that same person who has the special piece is supposed to host the next party and provide the king cake. The king cake is thought to have been brought over by the french in 1870.

Transition: With all these different traditions dating back hundreds of year they are still alive and well today.

What It Looks Like Today

Mardi gras today is still know for the food, events, and parades. According to CNN With now about 1. 2 million people visiting and celebrating in new orleans it is one of the biggest celebrations in the world. This is typically a free party that The krewes put on, but Mardi gras isn't the only thing that the krewes focus on, giving back has now become a tradition for the them. For example according to the advocate. com Rex’s Pro Bono Publico (for the public good) Foundation has led the way by donating more than $5 million to 70 public schools since 2007. With people coming from all over the world it gives New Orleans a national stage through mardi gras to show the community and history within the united state's. Today Mardi gras symbolizes a time to celebrate this rich culture and history.

Conclusion

After talking about the deep culture, different traditions, and what Mardi Gras looks like today. We have a better understanding of the Mardi Gras festival especially since we live so close to two main hubs, mobile and Louisiana, and that it is coming up in a few days. So, mark twain was probably right when he said that Mardi Gras was a staple within the American culture.