Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday , the day before Ash Wednesday the start of lent in the Western Christian tradition. Club, or Krewe, balls start soon after, though most are extremely private, with their Kings and Queens coming from wealthy old families and their courts consisting of the season's debutantes. Most of the high society Krewes do not stage parades. As Fat Tuesday gets nearer, the parades start in earnest.
Usually there is one major parade each day weather permitting ; many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities, including parades and balls some of them masquerade balls. The parades in New Orleans are organized by social clubs known as krewes ; most follow the same parade schedule and route each year.
Float riders traditionally toss throws into the crowds. The most common throws are strings of colorful plastic beads, doubloons , decorated plastic "throw cups", and small inexpensive toys. Major krewes follow the same parade schedule and route each year. While many tourists center their Carnival season activities on Bourbon Street , major parades originate in the Uptown and Mid-City districts and follow a route along St.
The first record of Mardi Gras being celebrated in Louisiana was at the mouth of the Mississippi River in what is now lower Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana , on March 2, Iberville , Bienville , and their men celebrated it as part of an observance of Catholic practice.
The date of the first celebration of the festivities in New Orleans is unknown. A account by Marc-Antoine Caillot celebrating with music and dance , masking and costuming including cross-dressing. Processions and wearing of masks in the streets on Mardi Gras took place. They were sometimes prohibited by law, and were quickly renewed whenever such restrictions were lifted or enforcement waned.
