What is the meaning of Mardi Gras?
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Mardi Gras (), or Fat Tuesday, refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday (known as Shrove Tuesday). is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.
Mardi Gras
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The rural Mardi Gras in Choupic involves a ritual chasing and flogging with willow tree branches. Young, unmarried men from sixteen or seventeen years old up into their twenties secretly organize the run each year, and they do not disclose their participation in the run to anyone. Once a man is married, he voluntarily stops his participation in the Mardi Gras run. Traditionally, the Mardis Gras were on foot, but today some adaptations have been made, such as the use of pickup trucks and the use of three-wheelers by some participants. The Mardis Gras meet early Mardi Gras morning at Possum Square and then climb into the back of a few pickup trucks to hide. The pickup trucks carry the Mardis Gras from one residential section to another where they chase the children of the town, and make them recite Catholic prayers before giving them their pre-Lenten flogging with willow tree branches or sometimes with the flexible end of a fishing pole. The Choupic courir de Mardi Gras differs from other courirs in that it does not involve the chasing of chickens nor ritual begging nor the use of horses as a means of transportation.
Courir de Mardi Gras
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The Courir de Mardi Gras ( ) is a traditional Mardi Gras event held in many Cajun communities of south Louisiana on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Courir de Mardi Gras is Cajun French for "Fat Tuesday Run". The rural Mardi Gras celebration is based on early begging rituals, similar to those still celebrated by mummers, wassailers and celebrants of Halloween. As Mardi Gras is the celebration of the final day before Lent, celebrants drink and eat heavily, and also dress in specialized costumes, ostensibly to protect their identities. Popular practices include wearing masks, capuchons, and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, drinking alcohol, begging, feasting, whipping. Mardi Gras is one of the few occasions when exceptions are allowed, as are Halloween celebrations and religious observances. Two HBO series (the crime drama "True Detective" and the post Hurricane Katrina themed "Treme") make reference to the tradition.
Courir de Mardi Gras
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The Mardi Gras song, known in the local Cajun French as "La Danse de Mardi Gras" and "La Vieille Chanson de Mardi Gras", is a traditional tune sung by the participants, although the exact lyrics vary greatly from town to town. The melody of the traditional folk song is similar to melodies of the Bretons from the northern coast of France. The tune is played in a minor mode not generally found in other Cajun music. This version is sung at the Church Point "Courir de Mardi Gras":
Courir de Mardi Gras
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In parts of Cajun country, such as Eunice, Basile, Church Point and Mamou, the traditional "Courir de Mardi Gras" (French for the "Mardi Gras Run") is still held. "Le Capitaine" leads masked men on horseback to gather ingredients for making the communal meal (usually a gumbo). Participants gather in costume and move from home to home requesting ingredients for the night's meal. This rural Mardi Gras draws on traditions that are centuries old. Revelers sing "La Chanson de Mardi Gras", a song echoing medieval melodies.
Mardi Gras in the United States
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To Mobilians, Mardi Gras refers to the entire festival season, also known as Carnival. Local schools have multiple "Mardi Gras Holidays", which often include Ash Wednesday. Mobile's culture is diverse, and as a result the Mardi Gras season has been extended. The area's traditions draw from all of its history, including French, Spanish, British, African, Creole, American, and even Swedish influences. The 2008 documentary The Order of Myths details the origins of Mobile Mardi Gras and highlights the differences in the mystic societies due to race and history.
Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama
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Mardi Gras throws are strings of beads, doubloons, cups, or other trinkets passed out or thrown from the floats in the New Orleans Mardi Gras, the Mobile Mardi Gras and parades all throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States, to spectators lining the streets. The "gaudy plastic jewelry, toys, and other mementos [are] tossed to the crowds from parading floats". Mardi Gras celebrations in other Gulf Coast cities, such as Mobile and Lafayette, have adopted the custom. "The goodies, or 'throws,' consist of necklaces of plastic beads, coins called doubloons, which are stamped with krewes' logos, parade themes and the year, plus an array of plastic cups and toys such as Frisbees or figurines". The cups that are used as throws are sometimes referred to as "New Orleans dinnerware".
Mardi Gras throws
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Related popular practices are associated with Shrovetide celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Mardi Gras is also known as Shrove Tuesday, which is derived from the word "shrive", meaning "to administer the sacrament of confession to; to absolve".
Mardi Gras
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The song refers to Mardi Gras Indian groups; an important part of the African American Mardi Gras tradition. The "Indian Nation" of Mardi Gras Indian "gangs" in New Orleans includes the Wild Magnolias, the Golden Eagles, and several others. Mardi Gras Indian gangs have existed since the early 20th Century. Each gang performs its own original songs and dances on Mardi Gras Day, on "Super Sunday" (the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day) and at other functions in the community. The "Big Chief", the "Spy Boy", the "Flag Boy" and several other roles or offices are important to the Mardi Gras Indian tradition of "masking" (parading through the street in full costume). These characters are mentioned in Earl King's song, as well as many other songs which have come out of New Orleans.
Big Chief
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Mardi Gras is a Cowboy Mouth EP that was released in coordination with the band's "16th Annual Rock N' Roll Mardi Gras Tour". The album is composed of Mardi Gras themed music and an acoustic version of a song from the band's 2006 album "Voodoo Shoppe".
Mardi Gras (EP)
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The Netherlands also has a festival similar to Mardi Gras. It's called Carnaval and is similar to the Venice Carnival. The origin of the word Carnaval is "carnem levare" which means "to take away meat" in Latin, or "carne vale", Latin for "farewell to meat". It marks the beginning of Lent (1 March 2017) leading up to Easter
Mardi Gras