Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras – is a colorful festivities that take place before the Great Lent in New Orleans. If you translate mardi gras into Russian, you get « bold Tuesday ». The celebration of Mardi Gras can be safely compared with Maslenitsa in Russia, but given the traditions of this event, it is more like an annual carnival in Brazil.

The first such festivities took place in Europe, namely in France, from where it originates. From a long time there were traditions beyond which, before the Great Lent, Catholics gathered to arrange a farewell holiday, which was necessarily accompanied by fun and delicious food. Over time, this holiday reached many countries around the world, but it reached a special scope in this American city. Filled with the French, New Orleans, became famous all over the world for this farewell fun walk called Mardi Gras. The holiday takes place every year on Tuesday in an oil week. The very first Mardi Gras went outside to celebrate students, back in 1827, who are its founders.

Modern celebrations of this festivities with the very first simply do not compare, since today's holiday is just at the highest level and it is in a hurry to see millions of tourists from all over the world. A distinctive feature of this event from such carnivals in other countries is music. It is known that it was in New Orleans that such a type of music as jazz originated. It is these fascinating motives that are accompanied by all Mardi Gras.

The carnival is built in such a way that trumpeters and saxophonists are headed on the front street, and behind them there are generously decorated platforms with honored people, especially the mayor of the city.

The most important persons of the holiday are the King and Queen, who are selected from among the inhabitants of the city for special merits over the past year.

There is a tradition of sprinkling with many beads that fly on people from the platforms themselves. This is considered the main decoration of Mardi Gras. Beads, which necessarily come in three colors, namely purple, golden and green, should be stored in every family throughout the next year.

These beads are sold in special stores ahead of the day of celebration, but it is the duty of each participant in the festival to earn them, for which it is necessary to stand out from the crowd than to attract the attention of the Queen. Often, for this, during fun, hot girls, heated by alcohol, bare their breasts, than attract the eyes of the King and Queen, who sprinkle them with beads. There are no age categories and any age or body restrictions for such « exhits ». This behavior of people on the streets during Mardi Gras gave the name to the city « crazy city ».

Local residents are preparing for this celebration in the United States in advance. They come up with an image, sew costumes, and also buy various masks, rehearse, and of course, decorate platforms. Officially, Mardi Gras lasts up to 22-00, but usually the procession on the streets of the city does not stop until the morning.