22 It’s Carnival Time! Mardi Gras is more than one day in one city. It’s a statewide celebration, unique to each city and town. Know the Lingo King Cake Also debuting on January 6th is the coveted king cake, an oval-shaped, flashy cousin of the cinnamon roll. It is sometimes filled with cream cheese or fruit and topped with a sugary dusting of purple, green and gold — the official colors of Mardi Gras. PURPLE REPRESENTS JUSTICE GOLD SIGNIFIES POWER Carnival Season runs from Twelfth Night (also called the Epiphany, which is always on January 6 regardless of th Carnival Time in Louisiana What It Is, When It Is Louisiana’s most iconic celebration! In Louisiana, Carnival celebrations occur statewide for weeks leading up to the pinnacle on Mardi Gras day. Mardi Gras, French for “Fat Tuesday,” is the single-day finale of the Carnival season. of Comus, Carnival’s first secret society. Comus was the first krewe to adopt a mythological namesake. Greek, Roman and Egyptian mythologies are the sources of nearly half of the parading krewe names across the state. Floats Whether a hand-crafted contraption tugged behind a bicycle or a mammoth work of art sculpted for months by professionals, a float is what carries the krewe down the parade route. Check out New Orleans’ “super krewes” to see enormous floats at Mardi Gras World (open for tours year-round). GREEN STANDS FOR FAITH A tiny baby figurine is tucked inside each cake, and if it ends up in your slice you buy the next cake. Rules are rules! the date of Mardi Gras), to Fat Tuesday, which is on February 16 th in 2021. Carnival All Year Long You can get into the Mardi Gras mood whenever you visit. In New Orleans, check out the Carnival exhibits at the Louisiana State Museum’s Presbytere and the Backstreet Cultural Museum. Lake Charles’ Mardi Gras Museum of Imperial Calcasieu also houses an incredible collection of costumes. Throws Beads and doubloons (coin-shaped trinkets) are the best-known throws — a catch-all term for any object handed or tossed from a float — Krewe Krewes, pronounced “crews,” are groups of Mardi Gras paraders. It is believed that the term, krewe, was coined by the Mystik Krewe but there are many others: painted coconuts, bedazzled shoes and blinking toys that the kids especially love to catch! Stay up to date on statewide Carnival events by visiting MardiGras.LouisianaTravel.com LouisianaTravel.com
Louisiana Travel Guide Louisiana Sunshine Magazine 2021: Page 22
