Mardi Gras and Carnivale is a festive tradition that has been around for centuries, but you don't have to go to New Orleans or Brazil to celebrate! There are activities all across Los Angeles that will afford you the opportunity to party, no matter your style. From raucous nightclubs to family parades, there is something for everyone on Fat Tuesday. And if you are hosting your own Mardi Gras get-together, the floral designers at French Florist have the green, gold, and purple flowers youll need to decorate.
Here are some fun facts about Mardi Gras:
* Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday. It is held on the day prior to Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the Lenten season of fasting and repentance. Revelers would eat all of the food in their house prior to the period of abstinence, hence the hefty name.
* The first mention of Mardi Gras on what would eventually be U.S. soil, took place in 1699, when the French explorer Bienville landed about 60 miles south of modern-day New Orleans and had a dinner to celebrate the holiday they had left behind in France. One of Bienville's latest settlements would become New Orleans.
* Masquerade balls and lavish dinners marked the earliest celebrations. In 1837, masked students donned costumes and danced through the streets, and in 1857, the first secret society krewe took to the streets with mystical floats, torches, and marching bands.
* It was one of the early krewes who determined the official colors of Mardi Gras purple for justice, gold for power, green for faith. King's cake is a popular nosh on Mardi Gras, sporting the colors of the holiday; and the tradition of throwing beads didn't come about until the early 1900's.
Dazzle people at your office, or add festivity to your home, with exquisite Mardi Gras arrangements from French Florist. After all, it's not a celebration without flowers!
