Celebrating Mardi Gras in Galveston. What is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras is a spectacular celebration that lasts from the 12th day after Christmas to the day before Ash Wednesday. It is a purple, green and gold carnival filled with parties, interesting parades and best of all, King Cake! Here are my experiences with Mardi Gras in Galveston.
When is Mardi Gras?
Mardi Gras is considered to be Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, with festivals leading up to it for weeks prior. Even though the day itself is a Louisiana State Holiday, the celebration of Mardi Gras may have actually originated in Mobile, Alabama. French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville celebrated his arrival in what is now Mobile on Fat Tuesday, 1699 and named the location Point du Mardi Gras.
The tradition of parties on Fat Tuesday grew from there, although they were outlawed for a while when they got too rowdy. However, a New Orleans Krewe changed that in the mid-1800s and began the tradition of more family-oriented parties and parades.
Most of the floats will toss “throws” generally beads, small toys or something consistent with the theme of the Krewe such as pirate flags. It’s considered a great honor to receive a throw as they are paid for by the person who threw it to you. Believe me, I shouted THANK YOU every time I caught beads or toys.
We went to three Mardi Gras parades in Galveston, although they had more than 22! Many krewes have a theme and so floats are created to reflect those themes. They had parades for kids, parades for golf carts and even parades for pets. Unfortunately, most of those were part of a festival with paid admission and parking so we didn’t go.
What do the colors of Mardi Gras mean?
The colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. Purple is for justice, gold is for power, and green is for faith.
Modern parades include floats from businesses, marching bands, cheerleaders and, yes even police.
What is King Cake?
I have to admit, I am addicted to King Cake. My favorite is the variety made by Alesi. It’s basically a lemon brioche, sometimes with other flavors, that has a plastic baby packed with it. You are to put the baby somewhere in the cake before serving it. Whoever finds the baby has to host the next big party.
As you might suspect, lots of foods find themselves renamed during Mardi Gras. You can find Voodoo Potato Chips at the local grocery and King Cake Vodka at Walmart.
Why do you say Laissez Le Bon Temp Rouler?
It’s supposedly a French/Creole saying, but there is some controversy over that. No matter how it came about, people that wish you Laissez are saying, “Let the Good Times Roll“.
I admit to being thrilled by the parades in New Orleans last year. You can read about that here. The parades in Galveston had a lot more community involvement, I think. We were the only out-of-state license plate on the whole street! Nevertheless, a good time was had by all. And I am going to make one of these umbrellas for myself for next year!
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