Mardi Gras: Sound Like a Local (2024)

Here are a few basic terms you'll want to know before you don a mask and head out for your first Carnival experience.

1. Mardi Gras

This is French for "Fat Tuesday," a reference to the fact that Mardi Gras always is the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent in the Catholic faith. Because the 40 days of Lent are considered a somber period of sacrifice, Fat Tuesday is seen by many as an appropriate time for indulgence and festivity — a last chance at revelry. Nowhere in the United States is Mardi Gras celebrated as it is in Louisiana.

2. Carnival

This word is not interchangeable with "Mardi Gras." Carnival refers to the whole period of time leading up to Fat Tuesday. The Carnival season officially begins on the Feast of the Epiphany. This date is also known as Twelfth Night (12 days after Christmas). Festivities kick off on a small scale at this time, then gradually pick up steam, peaking with many parades, balls and parties on the final two weekends before Mardi Gras.

3. Krewe

This is a Carnival organization made up of members who plan and carry out the various themed parades and balls. The Krewe of Rex, for instance, honors the "king" of Carnival and stages a spectacular, traditional parade on Mardi Gras, along with an elaborate ball later that night. In keeping with the "mystical" tradition of Carnival, some of the oldest krewes keep their membership shrouded in secrecy. This is why krewes require members to wear masks during parades. (Wearing masks and costumes is also part of the fun for everyone else.) In addition to their Carnival activities, many krewes also participate in charitable efforts throughout the year.

4. Parade

OK, everybody knows what this is, but if you haven't seen a Mardi Gras parade, well, you haven't really seen a parade. For Louisiana parades, krewes build huge, elaborate floats that carry riders who may number in the dozens. The spectacle of these events is something to behold, and spectators get a bonus thrill as float riders toss loads of colorful trinkets along the way.

5. Throws

Around here, we call the parade trinkets "throws." The most common throws are strings of plastic beads that parade-goers love to collect and wear around their necks as "trophies" from their parade experience. Each krewe usually also throwsdoubloons, medallions, small toys and plastic cups imprinted with the krewe logo.

6. Purple, Green and Gold

These are the official colors of Mardi Gras, and you'll see them everywhere. According toCarnival historians, the colors represent justice, faith and power respectively.

7. King Cake

You'll want to sample this Carnival tradition for sure! This sweet dough twisted and shaped into an oval isdecorated with icing and purple, green and gold sugar crystals. King cake is actually more bread than cake. Be alert: A plastic baby is "hidden" in every king cake; this is to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, when Jesus first showed himself to the three wise men and to the world. If you're the lucky one to find the baby in your slice, you provide the king cake for the next gathering! Add this king cake recipe to your celebrations.

Now that you're prepared to sound like a local, it's time to plan your trip to a Louisiana Mardi Gras. The celebration happens throughout the state, so explore the regions to find the festivities that match your style. And be sure to pick up a free Louisiana Official Inspiration Guidefor all the inside knowledge you need to plan your trip.

Mardi Gras: Sound Like a Local (2024)

FAQs

What does Mardi Gras music sound like? ›

Mardi Gras performances are jazzy, energetic and brass-centric, a lively call-and-response between performer and observer. Perhaps the best way to hear Mardi Gras is to observe a second line of Mardi Gras Indians, whose rollicking spectacles galvanized the genre.

What is Mardi Gras similar to? ›

Mardi Gras is the last day of the season known as Carnival. Specifically, Carnival is the period between Epiphany and Lent on the Roman Catholic calendar. The holiday is a religious holiday, so you will only find this kind of celebration in predominantly Christian countries.

What is the song played at Mardi Gras? ›

Go to the Mardi Gras—Professor Longhair

“Go to the Mardi Gras,” first recorded in 1949, by Roy “Baldhead” Byrd, also known as Professor Longhair. The definitive version was recorded in 1959 for the Ron label. Some say it's the most popular Carnival record ever made.

What do they say at Mardi Gras? ›

Who first said, "Laissez les bons temps rouler?" It suddenly occurred to us that we've never heard anyone discuss the origins of the phrase “Laissez les bons temps rouler” – “Let the good times roll!” Who said it first? Was it the explorer Iberville when he first stepped foot at Point du Mardi Gras in 1699?

What do you yell at Mardi Gras? ›

“Other information of a nature calculated to increase overall enjoyment of the Mardi Gras season is also presented, but the primary objective is to improve the competitive position of the reader when that first float-rider co*cks his arm, and the chorus of, 'Throw me somethin', mister! ' begins.”

What is New Orleans style music called? ›

New Orleans, Louisiana, is especially known for its strong association with jazz music, universally considered to be the birthplace of the genre. The earliest form was dixieland, which has sometimes been called traditional jazz, 'New Orleans', and 'New Orleans jazz'.

Is Mardi Gras French or Mexican? ›

Mardi Gras, festive day celebrated in France on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for fasting and abstinence. See Carnival.

What is the new name for Mardi Gras? ›

Mardi Gras (UK: /ˌmɑːrdi ˈɡrɑː/, US: /ˈmɑːrdi ɡrɑː/; also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.

Is Mardi Gras Italian or French? ›

In fact, Fat Tuesday (or Shrove Tuesday), also known as Mardi Gras in French, and Martedì Grasso in Italian, is the day before the start of Lent in the Christian liturgical calendar. This day always falls on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

What is the signature snack of Mardi Gras? ›

Moon Pie. The Tennessee-made snack cake gained popularity at Mardi Gras parades as a signature throw into the crowd. The tradition started in Mobile, Alabama, during the 1950s and quickly took hold in other communities around northwest Florida, Mississippi's Gulf Coast, and select western Louisiana parishes.

What does purple signify during Mardi Gras? ›

And in 1892, the Rex parade theme "Symbolism of Colors" gave meaning to these colors. Purple Represents Justice. Green Represents Faith. Gold Represents Power.

What is the second line in New Orleans music? ›

The strutting revelers who fall in behind are referred to as the second line. The leaders of the parade carry decorated umbrellas, while the other participants shake handkerchiefs while they dance. A brass band plays some beats that gets everyone dancing and moving.

Is flashing in New Orleans legal? ›

Please tell your friend that no one has to do anything they don't want to do, and those who flash in public can be arrested.

What is Tuesday called during Mardi Gras? ›

While it is commonly referred to as a whole season of events, it is actually only one day. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday. Some call it Shrove Tuesday, which grew out of an English term (Shrovetide) meaning the last day before the liturgical period called Lent. Shrove means to confess or be absolved of sin.

What is the nickname for Mardi Gras? ›

Hence, Shrove Tuesday was also called Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras. French colonists introduced the term to the Americas in the 1600s, but the carnival tradition of merrymaking before Lent originated in Rome, probably as a compromise that the Christian Church made with the ancient annual pagan feast of Saturnalia.

How would you describe Mardi Gras music? ›

Mardi Gras music in New Orleans is characterized by unamplified brass instruments such as tubas, trombones, and trumpets, along with percussion instruments like marching snare and bass drums. Jazz, with Louis Armstrong playing a pivotal role, has woven its way into the Mardi Gras celebrations.

What kind of music is played at Carnival? ›

Carnival music is often a mix of styles from around the world and is often heavily influenced by traditional music from the Caribbean and Latin America. The best Carnival music is a matter of personal preference. Some popular Carnival music styles include Samba, Reggae, Calypso, Soca, and Kompa.

What is New Orleans bounce music called? ›

Bounce music is a style of New Orleans hip hop music that is said to have originated as early as the late 1980s in the city's housing projects. Popular bounce artists have included DJ Jubilee, Partners-N-Crime, Magnolia Shorty and Big Freedia. Bounce. Stylistic origins. Southern hip hop.

What genre of music is popular in New Orleans and often heard during Mardi Gras festivities? ›

New Orleans is easily the jazz music mecca. Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton and Sidney Bechet are among some of the city's most celebrated jazz musicians who helped to pioneer the genre.

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