Please join us on Tuesday, February 21 at 5:00 p.m. for a celebration of Mardi Gras!

My husband grew up in New Orleans and every year we invited our neighbors and friends to join us for a party to remember! This North Carolina girl had a lot to learn about the history and customs of Mardi Gras.

The origins of Mardi Gras go back to 17th century Europe. New Orleans was established in 1718. By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was being celebrated there. It was a big holiday. It began after the Christian feast of the Epiphany and ended on the day before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. It was also called Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, and Pancake Tuesday. It was known for music, art, picnics, parades, floats, and costumes. People on the floats would throw beads and trinkets to the bystanders.

The colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. Purple represents Justice, green represents Faith, and gold represents Power. Most of our decorations are a mix of these colors.

For the parties at our house, all of our guests were given beads to wear. My husband would prepare a feast. Yes, Cajun men can cook. He would make a chicken gumbo and a main dish like crab mornay, crawfish etouffee or oysters Italiano with salads and French bread.

The dessert for the evening was a classic king cake. I always hid a plastic baby in the cake. As we cut the slices, everyone would look for the baby. The finder would become the King or Queen of Mardi Gras.

We ended the party by singing old favorites. What a great night we had! Laissez Les Bontemps Rouler!