This year, I’m especially sad that I won’t be able to enjoy the greatest holiday of the year:
Mardi Gras.
Girls day on St. Charles on Lundi Gras 2013, the Monday before Fat Tuesday
(From left to right: sister – Loggan; mom – Tina; Nana; me)
I wish I had older Mardi Gras pictures to share, but I live about 4 hours away from my parents. Bummer. Trust me, they are pretty great.
On the Gulf Coast, Mardi Gras is celebrated with a 5 day weekend… schools, banks, and many stores are closed in observance of sheer frivolity.
And it’s awesome.
Bacchus, the god of wine and celebration, is praised. The king of the Carnival season is crowned, Rex.
If you’ve never had the opportunity to experience a parade, well… you’re doing something wrong.
From Metairie, LA. to Mobile, AL., people throw caution to the wind (as well as beads, doubloons, and of course – Moon Pies) and take a break from the rushed flow of life to enjoy spending time with friends and family to celebrate a holiday that finds it’s origins from the paganism that dominated Europe prior to Christianity. The Carnival season represents a mixing of religions, now celebrated purely for entertainment and traditional value.
For Catholics, Ash Wednesday starts the season of Lent. Fat Tuesday is a last ditch effort to enjoy the sinful pleasures of alcohol, debauchery, and gluttony.
Happy Lundi Gras, y’all.
Mississippi Musings 