==Mardi Gras has been celebrated openly in New Orleans since the 1730’s but the first Mardi Gras parade of floats followed by a ball for the krewe and their guests occurred in New Orleans on February 24, 1857 by the crew of Comus
==Mardi Gras marks the end of carnival season
==In Ireland, England, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, people celebrate Mardi Gras by eating pancakes and particpating in pancake themed activities
==King’s cake in the US is traditionally purple, green, and gold, with a trinket baby Jesus inside. Whoever gets the baby Jesus is said to have good luck all year
==Purple stands for justice, green for faith, and gold for power
==Crews are organizations that puts on a parade and or a ball for Mardi Gras or Carnvial
==Dues for crews rang from 20 dollars to thousands of dollars annually
==In New Orleans Mardi Gras it’s illegal to ride on a float without a mask
==Beads were first thrown by Santa during a parade in the early 19 hundreds
==Fat Tuesday is an official state holiday in Alabama, Florida, and parts of Louisiana
==Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday in French. With Ash Wednesday marking the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period of fasting before Easter