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Once Christmas has passed and the New Year has been rung in, most folks living in the Deep South have in the offing one more celebration to dig them in every way the dreary winter. Mardi Gras has evolve into a living breathing thing to a portion of the Irish lough Coast and many traditions have sprung up around the holiday.

First celebrated in the United States in 1703, this holiday already had a long tradition with European Christians. What began as a single feast to commemorate the beginning of the Lenten season on Ash Wednesday has turned into a two-week celebration that culminates on the Tuesday before.

Mardi gras means Fat Tuesday in French and it is traditionally the last day for Catholics to indulge before fasting begins for the 40 days of Lent. It is a time of extravagant fun for those leaving in areas fortunate enough to celebrate it.

Although originally celebrated by Mobilians here in the United States, the celebration quickly spread westward to the Crescent City, New Orleans, Louisiana. Now each year millions pour into both cities to enjoy the two-week long block parties that this celebration has become.

One of the most enjoyable traditions of the festivities is the parades. Night after night, the societies of both cities parade through the streets on beautifully colored floats that in some cases have taken nearly a year to construct. Accompanying these parades are marching high school bands and jazz bands that provide music that echoes throughout the streets of the cities. Keeping company to these tunes the masked members on the floats through all sorts of treasures to the waiting crowds. Some of the most popular throws are colorful bead necklaces and moon pies. Lots of mouthwatering recipes have also been created by clever cooks seeking original ways of utilizing all the moon pies one might catch at a single parade. Many parade goers devise unique ways of collecting the various types of treasures thrown from the floats. From unique costumes to the baring of certain body parts, many things are tried to get the attention of the revelers on the floats. Though strictly speaking, baring restricted body parts, can and has had the effect of landing some parade goers in the clink for indecent exposure, it is still considered one of the best ways to get the good stuff, especially in New Orleans.

A party atmosphere prevails and for many residents in both cities, Mardi Gras day is considered a regional holiday. Although the mail runs (it is after all NOT a federal holiday) that’s about all that happens on this particular day. Typically, banks close, garbage pickup is halted and city hall employees of both New Orleans and Mobile have the day off. Families pack up the family car and take barbeque grills and ice chests downtown for a day of family fun. Many arrive before the crack of dawn just to ensure the best seats. For sure, Mardi Gras is one of those rare things in life that just must be experienced to be fully appreciated. Ronnie Tanner is a contributing writer at Toomey’s Mardi Gras. He writes about Mardi Gras Masks and other industry specific topics.