6 (Epiphany, also called Three Kings Day) through Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, the last hurrah before Ash Wednesday and the sobering start to Lent. Variations of the cake span a number of Catholic-influenced cultures and countries, as varied as the
King of the Krewe of Rex, Jack Laborde, rides on his float down a largely empty St. Charles Avenue, during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, March 4, 2014. Rain and unusually cold temperatures kept the normally massive and festive crowds away.
The centerpiece of the Mardi Gras celebration is the parade with revelers in costumes and masks marching from one end to the other. The fun is contagious. The streets are blocked off and fenced in. Fifth Avenue is one long bar. Reveler Tami Endow had
The original and most comprehensive Mardi Gras! Galveston guide on the web.
The Mardi Gras Baby Dolls are an excellent example. NPR's Tina Antolini writes that the baby doll tradition began in 1912. That year a group of African American sex workers dressed up like baby dolls and took to the streetsÂ