There are many facts that you might not know about Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras)

There are many facts that you might not know about Fat 

Tuesday (Mardi Gras)

1) If you were not aware, Mardi Gras and "Carnival" are the same celebration.

2) The second little known fact is that many people think that the holiday has pagan roots. However the holiday was born due to the Catholic Church’s discouragement of sex and the eating of meat during the Lenten season.

3) New Orleans was actually not the first host of the Mardi Gras celebration. That honor goes to the city of Mobile which would be the present day Alabama.

4) Mardi Gras celebrations survived early efforts at suppression and this year alone one million visitors are expected in New Orleans.

5) Small social societies like the Mistick Krewe of Comus kept the celebrations going during the battles against suppression. The year 1837 saw the first Mardi Gras street parade.

6) These small societies actually did not racially integrate until 1992 when an ordinance was passed disallowing racial discrimination.

7) Mardi Gras celebrations have occasionally been cancelled over the years. This has actually occurred 12 times since 1857 and the last time this occurred was in the year 1945.

8) The Super Bowl in New Orleans interrupted the parade schedule and the typical 12-day parade season was expanded. Official parades have been banned from the narrow tourist filled streets of the French Quarter since the 1970’s.

9) If you have not heard of King Cake, it is only eaten during Mardi Gras. The cake is made of brioche dough and is braided and filled with cinnamon. The dough is glazed like a doughnut and the glaze is made of the iconic colors including purple, green, and gold. The thing that really sets this cake apart from other baked delights is the little plastic baby that is hidden in each cake. The person who finds the baby traditionally has to buy the cake next year or host the next year’s party.

The best part of Mardi Gras is dressing up in great hats and masks and just let loose. You can find a great deal of "Fat Tuesday" hats and a big selection of Masquerade masks perfect for your theme party or celebration.