Discover the Magic of Mardi Gras: Top 9 Fun Facts You Never Knew About This Vibrant Festival

1. Mardi Gras Marathon

Feeling the need for a New Orleans Mardi Gras marathon? Better start lacing up your purple, green, and gold party shoes: Mardi Gras season in the Crescent City officially kicks off on January 6th and sprints through to Fat Tuesday, boasting a whopping 80 parades along the way to keep those good times rolling non-stop!
Source => findingtheuniverse.com

2. Ladder of Love

Forget candy and flowers: In New Orleans, true love is expressed by giving someone the gift of a customized, decked-out ladder for Mardi Gras. These elevated thrones have become a staple for catching throws and attaining a royal view of the parades. There's just one catch to this amorous ritual: Ladder safety must always come first. Every year, ladder-related accidents remind us to place them on level ground, at a safe distance from the curb, and have an adult supervising nearby. So, remember: Chaining or roping your beloved ladder to public property might also break the city's heart, not just your Valentine's.
Source => mardigrastraditions.com

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=> Fun Facts about Cinco-De-Mayo

3. Hidden Baby Cake

Talk about hiding your babies in the cake: Mardi Gras King Cakes are delightful cinnamon and cream cheese-filled doughnut-shaped desserts that contain a concealed plastic baby, with the lucky discoverer becoming the host of the subsequent celebration or cake provider.
Source => today.com

4. Glitter-Free Treasure Hunt

You know how chocolate coins make you feel like a rich, candy-loving pirate? Well, Mardi Gras doubloons have a similar effect, except they won't leave glittery fingerprints on everything you touch afterward: The iconic, collectible Mardi Gras doubloons are minted in various colors and metals, with some even being made of sterling silver. Unfortunately, silver doubloons are too heavy to be thrown during parades, but there are tales of accidental tosses – turning Mardi Gras into a treasure hunt of sorts. Just remember that it's illegal to throw anything bigger than a doubloon, so keep the bounties bite-sized!
Source => neworleans.com

5. Sustainable Fashion Throwback

Before recycling was cool, Mardi Gras was already rocking sustainable fashion with shiny accessories: The original Mardi Gras beads thrown in mid to late 1800s were handcrafted glass beads from Czechoslovakia, a far cry from today's millions of dollars worth of mass-produced plastic counterparts. However, some lucky parade-goers can still catch a glimpse of these rare, elegant relics during certain walking parades throughout the Mardi Gras season.
Source => theneworleans100.com

6. Lawsuit-Free Generosity

Feeling generous but fearing a lawsuit for accidental nose-gouging? Toss some Mardi Gras doubloons, and become a hero without the heartache: The Rex Organization introduced the tradition of launching these light aluminum "coins" in 1960, thanks to artist H. Alvin Sharpe. With 83,000 inaugural doubloons, they caught on quickly, becoming collectibles and are now jovially flung by the thousands each year as harmless parade mementos.
Source => nola.com

7. Galactic Mardi Gras Roots

Before Kylo Rex ruled the Galactic Mardi Gras: The modern-day Mardi Gras has its roots in the early days of Christianity and was inspired by the Roman festival Lupercalia. The first true Mardi Gras celebration occurred in Louisiana in 1827, with the iconic colors of purple, green, and gold chosen by the Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff of Russia for the Krewe of Rex in New Orleans in 1872.
Source => mardigrasupriver.com

8. Identity-Concealing Law

Before Batman and the gang were keeping their true identities hidden behind masks, the Mardi Gras goers had it covered – literally: Float riders are required by law to wear masks during parades, a tradition originating from early Carnivals when people aimed to protect their reputations while they intermingled with other social classes, and even today, many krewes guard the identity of their king or queen like a top secret mission.
Source => neworleans.com

9. Mardi Gras Calendar Mystery

Mardi Gras: the original game of "When is it again this year?" They don't use Christmas magic, but they do rely on the ecclesiastical wizardry of the Catholic calendar: Mardi Gras takes place 46 days before Easter, so grab your beads and mark your calendars for February 21, 2023!
Source => mensjournal.com