22 Items Tagged

Mardi Gras

Mobile, Alabama

Mobile Carnival Museum

In 1703, French settlers in what is now Mobile celebrated the first Mardi Gras celebration in the United States.

Illustration of a Venice-themed Mardi Gras float with Shakespeare's Othello

New Orleans, Louisiana

Starting Point of the First Mardi Gras Parade

In 1857, the Mardi Gras parade tradition began at this intersection.

Bolo-rei often comes with a coin—signifying good fortune—and a bean—signifying who buys the next cake—inside.

7 Weird and Wonderful King Cakes From Around the World

From slips of Bulgarian fortunes to copulating French figurines, international king cakes hide many surprises.

Matt Haines February 20, 2023

Fasnachts

Pennsylvanians come out in droves for this pre-Lent delicacy.

The first house float in the Krewe of Red Beans' Hire a Mardi Artist program is "The Night Tripper."

With No Parade This Year, New Orleans Is Festooned With Mardi Gras 'House Floats'

They’re uplifting spirits and local artists alike.

Victoria Stapley-Brown January 27, 2021

New Orleans, Louisiana

Antoine’s Restaurant

The oldest family-run restaurant in the United States is a living museum of New Orleans dining history.

Jennie Wilde designed the “I Came, I Saw, I Conquered" float for the the 1911 "Familiar Quotations"-themed Mardi Gras parade.

The Forgotten Female Artist Whose Mardi Gras Fantasias Warped Reality

If only Jennie Wilde could have transformed society too.

Laura Doan October 11, 2019

While most frozen Charlottes were fairly small, some were more than a foot long.

The Haunting History of 'Frozen Charlotte' Dolls

They were baked into cakes and dropped into baths.

Anne Ewbank March 4, 2019

Pączki

These Polish pre-Lent doughnuts have taken on a life (and an eating contest) of their own in the United States.

Graffe

During Carnival, Neapolitans fill up on these fluffy potato doughnuts.

Malasadas

These Portuguese doughnuts have a fervent fanbase in Hawaii.

Struffoli

These Neapolitan Christmas sweets double as decorations.

Courir de Mardi Gras

A Cajun tradition that combines costumes, gumbo, and chasing chickens.

Young women, with blinis, and Lady Maslenitsa burning in the background.

Maslenitsa

Russian Mardi Gras features blinis, fistfights, and burning effigies.

Sanguinaccio Dolce

Italians make a bloody delicious chocolate pudding.

Permanently Closed

In full bloom after Mardi Gras.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Tulane’s Mardi Gras Bead Tree

After the parade, students throw their beads on the tree hoping for good luck on exams.

Permanently Closed

New Orleans, Louisiana

Old Egyptian Courthouse

This strange example of the Egyptian Revival architecture trend now holds Mardi Gras floats.

King Cake, replete with a baby in the middle. (Usually, the baby is inside the cake, though.)

Once a Year, a Nightmarish King Cake Baby Roams New Orleans

The Mardi Gras mascot incites more jitters than good fortune.

Paula Mejia February 14, 2018