Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras, February 21, 2012!
What is Fat Tuesday?
The French name Mardi Gras translates to Fat Tuesday. It comes from an old tradition of parading a fat ox through the streets of Paris on the Tuesday before Lent begins. It was to remind people not to eat meat during Lent, which is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter.
The Modern Interpretation is "PARTY!"
In New Orleans, they know how to have FUN with parades and parties all week long. Beads and coins are tossed from parade floats and everyone dresses in masks and costumes!
Bring the Party Home!
Celebrate Mardi Gras with a FUN family dinner. Recreate the spirit of New Orleans by decorating with fun decorations. Balloons and streamers in yellow, green and purple are the perfect way to set the mood. You can use beads both as decorations and party favors for your guests to wear.
Set your table with colorful plates napkins and tablecovers. Leave chocolate coins at each place setting for a nice treat for each guest. Dinner can be as easy as pancakes!
A king cake for dessert is a must! The rituals surrounding the Mardi Gras king cake are varied and have changed through the years, but here is the basic idea:
- Bake a cake.
- Hide a plastic baby in the cake.
- Frost the cake and serve!
Whomever gets the piece with the baby in it, should be crowned the king or queen of the night!
Partytime Activities!
In England, Fat Tuesday is a day to compete in pancake tosses and races. The traditional pancake race consists of contestants carrying a frying pan and racing to the finish line, tossing pancakes as they go. The winner is the one who is first to cross the finish line and has tossed the pancakes a set number of times. We suggest celebrating by creating your own pancake toss games. Be sure to save some pancakes from dinner and let the games begin!
We have a wide selection of products in stores to help you celebrate Mardi Gras. Selection may vary by store location, so hurry in to get everything you need to party! Here are a few must-haves...
