I’ve never really got what the big deal is with Mardi Gras before this year.
In Texas I think many a Mardi Gras have passed me by, without my noticing. But here in Louisiana…Mardi Gras is A. REAL. BIG. DEAL. y’all.
Here is what I learned from my first Mardi Gras.
1. Dress up, every one else does.
In fact you probably stand out more if you’re NOT dressed up.
Amy (from Stampinwithaheart) and I made these tutus. They couldn’t have been more simple or more cheap. We bought 9 yards of tulle from hobby lobby and followed these instructions at Wiki How. This is truly a craft for the crafty and uncrafty alike, it was so easy!
2. If you get the baby in your King Cake (which is basically a big cinnamon roll) you are obligated to buy the next king cake.
The baby will look like the one on the float above, except a million times smaller, so look out. And please, for the love of tradition, don’t go suing the company if you get a baby in your piece of king cake. Its not for eating. Goodness.
3. The colors actually mean something.
Purple stands for justice, green for faith and gold for power. And all this time I thought the colors were just for a pretty show.
4. Louisiana news station has a parade tracker car. And truck.
Because parades are almost like tornados here – shutting down traffic, raining beads, and brining huge gusts of joy.
4. Beads.
They have more uses than just wearing them around your neck.
You can wear them as a hat and/or jacket…
Or perhaps as a brassiere.
Or use them as yard and fence decor, (not our house, just one I found in NOLA).
And at the end of the day, if you don’t know what to do with all those beads, you can just throw them in a nice jar on your bar as extra decor.
Thats what we did anyway.
Hope everyone had a great Mardi Gras!