I loved the city and I particularly loved the gaiety and spirit of Mardi Gras.

Tomorrow Mardi Gras opens officially.

The opening track, "' Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum ', includes many references to parades in Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where participants are masked, and " determined to go all the way " of the parade route, in spite of being intoxicated.

The wearing of costumes has become an important part of such holidays and festivals as Mardi Gras and Halloween ( see Halloween costume for more information ), and ( to a lesser extent ) people may also wear costumes in conjunction with other holidays, such as Christmas and Easter.

Mardi Gras costumes usually take the form of jesters and other fantasy characters, while Halloween costumes traditionally take the form of supernatural creatures such as ghosts, vampires, pop culture icons and angels.

This day, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday when Lent begins, is also known as Mardi Gras, a French phrase which translates as " Fat Tuesday " to mark the last consumption of eggs and dairy before Lent begins.

The Krewe of Orpheus parades on St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street in New Orleans on Lundi Gras ( Fat Monday ) — the day before Mardi Gras ( Fat Tuesday ).

The event has earned its name as the Mardi Gras of the Mountains.

* He was Grand Marshal of the Krewe of Endymion Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans on February 21, 2009 and was accompanied by The Chee-Weez, a local area cover band.

* Mardi Gras ( February 3 to March 9 in regular years, February 4 to March 9 in leap years )

* Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras – 47 days before Easter.

These parties are sometimes associated with holiday events, such as Halloween and Mardi Gras.

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New Orleans musicians such as Bartholomew and Longhair incorporated Cuban instruments, as well as the clave pattern and related two-celled figures in songs such as " Carnival Day ," ( Bartholomew 1949 ) and " Mardi Gras In New Orleans " ( Longhair 1949 ).

In his " Mardi Gras in New Orleans ," the pianist employs the 2-3 clave onbeat / offbeat motif in a rumba boogie " guajeo " ( below ).

Piano excerpt from the rumba boogie " Mardi Gras in New Orleans " ( 1949 ) by Professor Longhair.

The Hawketts, in " Mardi Gras Mambo " ( 1955 ) ( featuring the vocals of a young Art Neville ), make a clear reference to Perez Prado in their use of his trademark " Unhh!

Listen: " Mardi Gras Mambo " by the Hawketts ( 1955 ).

After three consecutive years of school bands, singer and comedienne Carol Channing led a tribute to Mardi Gras.

Actress and singer Carol Channing was featured during the halftime show that paid tribute to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Other exhibits focus on the Coushatta Indians and Courir de Mardi Gras or the country way of celebrating Mardi Gras in Allen Parish.

In addition to the above traditions, some groups of Mardi Gras Indians stage their last procession of the season on the Sunday nearest to St. Joseph's Day otherwise known as " Super Sunday ," after which their costumes are dismantled.

He was also " spy boy " for the Yellow Pochahantas tribe of Mardi Gras Indians and soon began playing in barrelhouses and other drinking establishments.

Mardi Gras Indians gathering along Bayou St. John.

Mardi Gras Indians are African-American Carnival revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana, who dress up for Mardi Gras in suits influenced by Native American ceremonial apparel.

Mardi Gras Indians have been parading in New Orleans at least since the mid-19th century, possibly before.

The history of the Mardi Gras Indians is shrouded in mystery and folklore.

" The idea of letting loose and embracing traditional African music and dance is a backbone of the Mardi Gras Indians practice.

On Mardi Gras in 1885, fifty to sixty Plains Indians marched in native dress on the streets of New Orleans.

Uptown Mardi Gras Indians Encounter

The Mardi Gras Indians play various traditional roles.

In the early days of the Indians, Mardi Gras was a day of both partying and bloodshed.

He said, “ I was going to make them stop fighting with the gun and the knife and start fighting with the needle and thread .” Today, the Mardi Gras Indians are largely unplagued by violence ; instead they base their fights over the “ prettiness ” of their suits.

* The HBO series Treme features one tribe of Mardi Gras Indians in one of the major plot lines weaving through the series, featuring preparations, the parades as well as strained relationships with the police department.

# REDIRECT Mardi Gras Indians

They include parades by the Mardi Gras Indians, as well as by marching and brass bands and various social aid and pleasure clubs.

" Iko Iko " is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two " tribes " of Mardi Gras Indians and the traditional confrontation.

Crawford set phrases chanted by Mardi Gras Indians to music for the song.

Musicologist Ned Sublette has backed the idea that the chorus might have roots in Haitian slave culture, considering that the rhythms of Mardi Gras Indians are nearly indistinguishable from the Haitian Kata rhythm.

Indian Red is traditionally sung at the beginning and at the end of gatherings of Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans.

# REDIRECT Mardi Gras Indians

An American drama that premiered in April 2010, centers around residents of New Orleans, including musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians, and ordinary New Orleanians trying to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.