French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
© f11photo/Getty Image
Bring the king cakes. Mardi Gras
Welcome to Mardi Gras! This festival is celebrated all over the United States, Caribbean, and South America, but it is an icon of New Orleans. The first Mardi Gras was held in Louisiana at the mouth of the Mississippi River in 1833, after a wealthy Frenchman raised funds to finance the formal celebration. Today, the centerpiece is a series of parades led by various ‘krewes’. The krewes throw purple, green, and gold beads at onlookers, symbolizing justice, faith, and power.
The holiday's name, Mardi Gras, means 'Fat Tuesday' in French. It refers to a feast of decadent foods like king cakes and crawfish prior to Lent, a season of fasting in the Catholic faith.
Related Images
London Millennium Bridge with St. Paul's Cathedral in the background, London, England
View of Paris, France, with the Eiffel Tower taken from Notre Dame Cathedral
Athens, Greece, for Greek Independence Day
View of modern buildings at sunset in downtown Toronto
Toronto skyline at sunset
Old town of Lucerne, Switzerland
Boats resting between the Granville Bridge and the Burrard Bridge in False Creek, Vancouver
New York City skyline with United Nations headquarters
Bing Today Images
Porto, Portugal
Feb 21, 2021
Giant puppets for Carnival in Olinda, Brazil
Feb 21, 2020
Bath, Somerset, England
Feb 21, 2019
