February 28th was Mardi Gras and the French students from Madame Winter’s classes celebrated this year! Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday and is always held on a Tuesday. Mardi Gras has many nicknames, including Fat Tuesday and Shrove Tuesday. The theme is freedom and the colors of Mardi Gras are purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. Mardi Gras is celebrated in countries all over the world including the United States and France.

In France, children dress up in costumes of their favorite characters like Elsa from Frozen and Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.  Then they make masks and celebrate! They dance and eat food. In New Orleans, Louisiana, where they also celebrate Mardi Gras, floats go down the streets and people throw colorful bead necklaces and chocolate gold coins to the crowd. The celebration in New Orleans starts 10 days before Mardi Gras with floats leading up to the big celebration. Children and Adults alike celebrate in New Orleans. One of the many great things about Mardi Gras is the food!

Madame Winter’s French students celebrated by baking crepes! These flat pancakes are a staple in France to eat during Mardi Gras. Crepes are made from a few ingredients including butter and eggs. There is also the king cake. In France a king cake is a puff pastry baked in a ring sometimes with a baby Jesus inside. Depending on family traditions, receiving the baby Jesus in your piece of the cake can mean that one either buys the king cake next year or hosts the Mardi Gras celebration. The king cake is typically covered in frosting with sugar in Mardi Gras colors; purple, green and gold. All in all, Mardi Gras is a popular holiday incorporates festive foods and floats celebrating freedom around the world.