Celebrate Mardi Gras!

Oh how I love the food of New Orleans and Mardi Gras makes me think of all the great food I have eaten in NOLA.  In addition to the food, which is AMAZING, New Orleans feels like a giant party year round, and Mardis Gras escalate that to a whole new level.  Here are some interesting facts about Mardis Gras, courtesy of International Business Times article posted on 2/8/16:

• "Mardi Gras" is French for Fat Tuesday.
• Fat Tuesday is also known as Shrove Tuesday, a term that has its roots in the word "shrive," meaning "to absolve someone of their sins."
• New Orleans is the most popular place to celebrate in the United States, but revelers also gather in Mobile, Alabama.
• Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, which is always 46 days before Easter. Mardi Gras is always the day before.
• Germany, Trinidad and Italy also host big festivals for the holiday.
• In England, it's often called Pancake Tuesday, so named because it was a chance for people to use up their flour, sugar and eggs before Lent.
• Partiers started wearing Mardi Gras masks to protect their identities while they celebrate. Today, people who ride on floats have to wear masks under law.
• Various krewes put on parades for Mardi Gras. The oldest in New Orleans is the Krewe of Rex, which has been active since 1872.
• Singer Harry Connick, Jr. helped found the Krewe of Orpheus in 1993. Guests in the parade since have included Whoopi Goldberg and Sandra Bullock.
• More than 500,000 king cakes are sold every year in New Orleans. The circular cakes are often colored yellow, purple and green and usually include a plastic baby figurine baked inside. It's lucky to find the baby.

You can make your own Mardi Gras celebration at home this year.  Cook up some jambalaya and buy a King Cake at the grocery store and you are all set!  Decorate with some purple, yellow, and green and you will really feel festive.  

Educational Outfitters at 1628 E Southern Ave, Tempe, AZ  85282 wishes you a Happy Mardi Gras!