Happy Mardi Gras!

This week we celebrated Mardi Gras. Here are some fun facts about the festive event.

MARDI GRAS IS ALWAYS THE TUESDAY BEFORE ASH WEDNESDAY

Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French. With Ash Wednesday marking the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period of fasting before Easter, Mardi Gras is the “last hurrah” of sorts, with participants indulging in their favorite fatty foods and drinks before giving them up.

ING’S CAKE IS EATEN ALL THROUGHOUT CARNIVAL SEASON

King’s cake (or three kings cake), is eaten throughout the world during carnival season. In the US, it 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!

MASKS ARE REQUIRED BY LAW FOR FLOAT RIDERS

Yep, it’s illegal to ride on a float without a mask! The original purpose of the mask was to get rid of social constraints for the day, allowing people to mingle with whomever they chose.

THE TRADITION Of PARADING DATES BACK TO 1856.

Historians believe Mardi Gras arrived in North America in 1699 and then spread to New Orleans in 1718. The Mistick Krewe of Comus was the first to roll floats about 60 miles from New Orleans in 1856. Krewe of Rex was the first of the type of parade krewes we see today.

MARDI GRAS ISN’T ONLY CELEBRATED IN NEW ORLEANS.

The Big Easy may be home to one of the most well known celebrations, but plenty of other places have their own takes on this festival. The first Carnival celebration originated in Nice, France while Rio de Janeiro, Quebec City and Trinidad and Tobago all have their own celebrations as well.

MARDI GRAS OCCASIONALLY GETS CANCELLED.

Since Comus ushered in the modern era of Mardi Gras in 1857, the New Orleans festivities have been cancelled about a dozen times. Most of those cancellations came during the Civil War, World War I and World War II, though revelers also stayed home during an 1870s yellow fever outbreak. The last time it was called off completely was 1945. A scaled-down version even took place in 2006, just months after Hurricane Katrina flooded the Gulf Coast and killed over 1,800 people.

Check out this Mardi Gras Snack from Simply Shellie:

• 6 cups of Chex Mix (I used corn and rice chex mixed)
• 3 cups of pretzels
• 1½ cups of Blueberry yogurt covered raisins
• 1½ cups Mint M&M’s
• Sauce
• ½ Cup of Honey
• ½ Cup of butter, Melted

Instructions

1. Mix together Chex and pretzels in a large bowl.
2. Melt butter and honey in a bowl. (don’t over melt them or the honey will start to crystalize)
3. Pour mixture over Chex and pretzel mixture and stir it until completely coated.
4. Spread mixture on a cookie sheet in a thin layer.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Stir ½ way through to be sure the top doesn’t burn.
6. Let cool completely then remove the mix from the cookie sheet into a bowl
7. Add the m&m’s and raisins and mix completely.
8. Serve or store in an air tight container for later.

Check out these events around Wayne County:

~ Feb 16th 7:30pm Paramount 100th Anniversary Gala. Reserved seating tickets $15 -$20 each. 919-583-8432

~ Annual Father Daughter Dance at the Goldsboro YMCA $20 per couple. Call 919-778-8857

~ History into Art event at the Goldsboro Library Saturday Feb 17th. Bring in a family photo and make a decoupaged key fob. Supplies provided. 919-735-1824

~ Feb 17th America Girl Tea Party for girls ages 5 and older. At the Steele Memorial Library In Mount Olive from 10:30am to 11:30am. Free. 919-299-8105

~Fireside chats at the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park at the 4pm. Join a ranger for a discussion on fire safety and campfire techniques. Participants will roast marshmallows. Free. 919-778-6234.

~Tyler Davis, Live at Goldsboro Brew Works Friday, February 16th, 8:00 pm

~ Core-Ensemble: “Of Ebony Embers-Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance” Monday, February 19th, 7:30 pm. Contact: Franklin Gross at wgross@umo.edu.

~ The Vivian B. Harrison Memorial Lecture: “Am I My Brother and Sister’s Keeper?” Tuesday, February 20th, 7:00 pm; Wednesday, February 21st, 9:00 am and 11:00 am. All services will be held in Rodgers Chapel. Contact: Dr. Robert Neal Cox at rcox@umo.edu.