Let the Good Times Roll! Today is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is a season of Parades, Masquerade Balls and King Cake Parties. Today is the final day of Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday which will then start the 6 weeks of Lent, leading into the Easter holiday. It is has been celebrated in Louisiana since the 17th century. In the Catholic religion, Lent begins the season of fasting or sacrificing by giving up one of your favorite foods. Say such as chocolate…ooh shudder that thought! or your favorite glass of wine.

“The King Cake is a New Orleans tradition that involves a pastry, a small plastic baby, and a party. The King Cake is baked with a baby hidden inside, the person who gets the slice with baby in it hosts the next party!”

The weeks leading up to Mardi Gras in New Orleans is quite the place to be. I have been to New Orleans a few times, but never during Mardi Gras. This is definitely on my bucket list! San Diego celebrates Mardi Gras tonight, but nothing like this.

This is “Bouef Gras” which I believe translates to Fat Beef. This is a float in the Rex Parade. Yes I would love to be there! More parades and crowds of revelers.

Well you just knew that there would be a cat in this somewhere, somehow!

The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are purple, green, and gold. (not quite right on this cat, but work with me here) These colors are said to have been chosen by Grand Duke Alexis Alexandrovitch Romanoff of Russia during a visit to New Orleans This was reaffirmed in 1892, when the Rex Parade theme “Symbolism of Colors” gave the colors their meanings of justice, power and faith.

While going through threads today looking for just that purr~fect Mardi Gras colors, look what I found! AlleyCat is posing for us against purple, green and gold! and until next time…keep on stitching