Winter Blahs? Plan a Mardi Gras Vacation!

A sure-fire prescription for the winter blahs is Mardi Gras. Rent a timeshare in New Orleans and you'll be right in the middle of the party. In 2010 Mardi Gras Day will fall on February 16th. We've complied some New Orleans Mardi Gras trivia for you to help make your Mardi Gras vacation planning fun.
  • The term "Mardi Gras" is French and directly translates to "Fat Tuesday," so called because the day falls on the Tuesday just before Ash Wednesday. It's thought that the term "Fat" comes from the ancient pagan tradition of parading a fat ox during winter solstice celebrations.

  • This carnival-type celebration was created by the Roman Catholic Church sometime in the mid 13th century as a time of merriment to preceed the strict 40-day Lenten period of penitence.

  • The dates and length of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans varies each year as these are based on the time between January 6 (the Feast of the Epiphany and the date that the Mardi Gras celebration begins) and Ash Wednesday, which in turn depends on when Easter falls.

  • "Mardi Gras Throws" is what the industry terms the items tossed to the crowd from the parade floats. Besides the ever-popular bead necklaces, other things thrown include everything from toothbrushes to glitter-powder puffs.

  • The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are Green (Faith), Purple (Justice) and Gold (Power).

  • "King Cake" is the ubiquitous Mardi Gras pastry that was traditionally served on "Kings' Day," another name for the Feast of the Epiphany. The cake has various fillings including almond (the most traditional), chocolate and raspberry. However, New Orleans chefs enjoy experimentation and have come up with unusual flavors, including crawfish.

  • A tiny baby figure, originally representing the baby Jesus, is baked in the King Cake. Whoever finds it in their piece of cake is said to have good luck for the rest of the year. The King Cake baby figurine has become an enduring symbol of Mardi Gras and is now also found on Mardi Gras bead necklaces, and cast in gold and silver for fine jewelry.

  • The New Orleans season of Mardi Gras consists of numerous events including small nightly parades around the city. It culminates on Mardi Gras Day with the famous grand Rex (Latin for "king") Parade.
Now you know all the details about Mardi Gras, rent a New Orleans timeshare and you’re on your way to a great vacation to break up the winter blahs!

(Photo provided by mardigras.com)
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