On March 4, 2025, New Orleans came alive with the vibrant festivities of Mardi Gras. Translated to “Fat Tuesday” in French, Mardi Gras is the last day of the Carnival season, directly before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.  

According to the official Mardi Gras website, the celebration originated in medieval Europe as a Catholic holiday, a time to enjoy the pleasures of life before the season of Lent. It was first celebrated in Italy during the 17th and 18th centuries, eventually spreading to the French House of the Bourbons, and from there to the French colonies in America. While the first Mardi Gras was celebrated in Mobile, Alabama in 1703, by the early 1700s Mardi Gras was widely celebrated in the newly established city of New Orleans and has since become home to America’s most famous of Mardi Gras traditions. 

Julia Ralston, a junior math major, recalled celebrating Mardi Gras with her family growing up.  

“We had a king cake, and we wore purple and gold beads,” Ralston said.  

The colors purple, green, and gold are widely recognized today as a symbol of Mardi Gras, but it wasn’t until 1892 that Rex, the King of the Carnival, first declared the colors’ meaning. In general, purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power. 

Over time, Mardi Gras in New Orleans became more of a cultural than a religious celebration, involving elaborate parades, costumes and balls, and in 1875 Governor Henry Warmoth signed the “Mardi Gras Act,” making Fat Tuesday a legal holiday in the state of Louisiana. Today, not many Americans recognize Mardi Gras as a major holiday outside of Louisiana, generally attributing the celebration to part of New Orleans culture.  

“I think a lot of people just don’t know how to celebrate it, since we’re nowhere near Louisiana,” Ralston said. 

Some students would celebrate Mardi Gras if they had the time, but note that next to schoolwork and extracurricular activities, the holiday is not a priority.  

“I did not celebrate Mardi Gras, just because I was busy this week, but if I wasn’t busy then I would have,” said Shelby Gowen, a sophomore elementary education major.  

Mardi Gras is known for a variety of unique, colorful traditions, one of the most famous being the king cake. In New Orleans, the Carnival season begins on the Epiphany, which correlates to the visitation of the three wise men to the baby Jesus. To commemorate the end of the Carnival season on Mardi Gras, a baby figure, usually plastic, is hidden inside a cake. The person who finds the baby is said to receive good luck and must bring the king cake for next year’s celebration. 

Another well-known custom is the wearing of costumes and masks, which originated as a way for attendees to escape society and class restraints. Today, float riders are required to wear masks, and many parade goers wear them as well to add to the environment of excitement throughout the city. Often decorated with feathers and ribbons, the masks have become a well-known symbol of the Mardi Gras magic and mystery.  

In the United States, New Orleans is best known for its Mardi Gras celebrations, but the Carnival season itself is widely celebrated in other parts of the world. 

In Venice, Italy, Carnival celebrations often include masquerade costumes and masks, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is also known for its masked balls, elaborate costumes and parades. In Switzerland, Carnival parades feature demon masks and large bells to drive out evil spirits and announce the arrival of Lent and spring.  

New Orleans’ unruly Mardi Gras crowds have sparked some concerns. Hannah Salter, a senior elementary education major, noted that some people might be wary of celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans, particularly after the terrorist attack in Bourbon Street earlier this year.  

“Mardi Gras is a big party that goes on for many days, and not everyone wants to party that long,” Salter said. 

Mardi Gras is infamous for its rowdy crowds and excessive drinking, often leading to violence and tragic accidents. Two people were killed in 2020 when they were struck by tandem floats during the parades, and the New Orleans police force consistently faces higher rates of drunk driving during the celebration.  

“I feel like it’s more of a New Orleans thing where people just want to have fun and get drunk,” Salter said.