Mardi Gras: Decorations on display in the run up to festival
- Published
New Orleans in Louisiana, USA is famous for its music, its traditional Creole food, its party atmosphere and, of course the Mardi Gras festival. This year, there will be no huge parade as in previous years, due to the coronavirus pandemic. But that hasn't stopped the locals decorating their homes in vibrant colours in the run up to the big day on 16 February!
The festival has been a long standing tradition for more than 160 years and usually attracts more than a million visiting party goers. After the city's mayor announced the festival would not go ahead, local residents decided to turn their homes into floats instead.
There was a special project set up that asked home owners to hire local artists who would normally be earning money designing the festival floats but can't this year because the parade has been cancelled.
More than 9000 homes signed up to the two-week long socially-distant festival, with locals able to download a map of the colourful homes to visit in their own time.
Many of the decorations become even more spectacular at night, with lights illuminating this traditional court jester display. Fat Tuesday is the last day of the carnival season in New Orleans as it always falls the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Christian festival of Lent. In the UK, we celebrate Pancake Day on the same day.
The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to medieval Europe but it wasn't until the 1730s that the festival was celebrated in New Orleans. In 1875, the town's governor signed the "Mardi Gras Act" making 'Fat Tuesday' a legal holiday in Louisiana. Schools and businesses close so people can enjoy the festivities.
- Published20 June 2024
- Published27 January 2021
