After years of stagnant wage growth, rising living costs people in England and Wales have an average of just Â£7,780 in savings, according to figures from Halifax. Rising costs: The average cost of a funeral as risen by 80 per cent since 2004.
The first Mardi Gras festivities in Louisiana were held on March 3, 1699. On that day, a group of French explorers set up camp on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about 60 miles downriver from what is now New Orleans.
However, these celebrations remained mostly private in nature until the 19th century, when the first recorded public procession in celebration of Mardi Gras took place in 1837. The city's first Mardi Gras parade to feature early versions of modern-style floats took place 20 years later in 1857. This city's celebrations have direct roots in Mobile, Alabama, which is the site of the first major public Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States.