Mardi Gras
February 17 · Level 10 · #18 of 2238
Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday", is the last day of carnival before Lent begins. People feast, dance and make merry before the weeks of fasting start.
How it is celebrated: in New Orleans, floats and marching bands parade through the streets, masked riders throw beads and trinkets to the crowd, and a king cake appears on the table. In the Belgian town of Binche, the Gilles march in tall hats of ostrich feathers.
Purple, green and gold are the colours of New Orleans Mardi Gras. The Rex carnival club fixed them in the nineteenth century, and they stand for justice, faith and power.