All the Christmas decorations are not even down yet for some folks here in Mobile, but Mardi Gras stuff is ALL over the place. Mardi Gras is big business around here. I always thought New Orleans was the hot spot for Mardi Gras but word around here is Mobile is the OG hotspot for Mardi Gras and it has been since 1703 when it was first called Beof Gras (fat beef).
The date of Mardi Gras is determined by the date of Easter. Mardi Gras day, or Fat Tuesday, is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday which begins the 40 day Lenten season that leads up to Easter Sunday. The Mardi Gras "season" is a whole month of celebrations, parades and balls leading up to the big day , "Fat Tuesday".
The celebration of Mardi Gras involves parades of papier-mache floats with members of different Mardi Gras clubs, which are called Krewes".
These people, all jazzed up with costumes and masks, throw beads and other goodies to all the people packed along the parade routes.
Mardi Gras is rooted in the Catholic Church calender. Mardi Gras is deliberate merry making before the penitential season of lent. The ultimate feast before the fast. Most people along the parade routes are not aware of the "feast" they are celebrating. Feast days and fast days are very much part of our living Catholic Faith.
This all leads to Ash Wednesday when we receive a thumbprint of ashes on our foreheads. This is a reminder of "Dust thou art, and to dust thou shalt return."
OK!!! Church history and parade memories aside, I have to go to a Mardi Gras ball with this really cute guy. He looks amazing at all these military functions with his uniform all crisp and smelling all great....
The bummer part is...me! I have to find a dress that looks as stunning as my date. I have to shop, try on and have a dress altered before Feb. 14th.
And all I can think about is...PLEASE DO NOT GET PREGNANT BEFORE FEBRUARY 14th!!!
You're so funny! We'll have to head over to Daphne for some "family friendly" parades this year! Hope to see you soon
ReplyDeleteThere's a consignment shop in the Plaza de Malaga shopping center on Airport that sells secondhand gowns, if you're interested. I had to get one there a few years ago and it was fine. They also sell regular clothing, shoes, accessories and home furnishings.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, Mardi Gras was wonderful. My family was big in the Inca Krewe and we always went to stuff around it. The grandkids (us) would spend the night in a nearby hotel, maybe even watch the parade from a balcony, have our uncles and grandfather throw us way too much stuff, and play in the hotel while the adults partied nearby.
Since I married a man whose not crazy about the balls, I don't really participate anymore, but honestly it's not as nice as it used to be. Like everything else, society has ruined some things that used to be family friendly.
Still Mardi Gras is a great time of year, especially with the mindset you have Lisa, of making it a part of practicing your faith!