Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday.

My hometown of Mobile, Alabama is the birthplace of Mardi Gras! Yes, you heard that correctly the Birthplace. It is the oldest annual Carnival celebration in the United States, having started in 1703. This was fifteen years before New Orleans was founded, although today their celebrations are much more widely known. Mardi Gras in Mobile has now evolved into a mainstream multi-week celebration across the spectrum of cultures in Mobile, becoming school holidays for the final Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Although Mobile has traditions of exclusive societies, with formal masked balls and elegant costumes, the celebration has evolved over the past three centuries to become typified by public parades where members of societies, often masked, on floats or horseback, toss gifts (known as throws) to the general public. Throws include necklaces of plastic beads, doubloon coins, decorated plastic cups, candy, wrapped cakes or snacks, stuffed animals, and small toys, footballs, frisbees, or whistles. My favorite throw of all time is the moon pie.  if you have never had a moon pie, I suggest that you try it at least once.

The masked balls or dances, where non-masked men wear white tie and tails and the women wear full length evening gowns, are oriented to adults.  Beyond the public parades, Mardi Gras in Mobile involves many various mystic societies some having begun in 1704, or ending with the Civil Wars, while new societies were formed every century. Some mystic societies are never seen in public parades, but rather hold invitation-only events for their secret members, with private balls beginning in November, each year.

This year I attended a Mardi Gras ball here in Biloxi, MS.  The Crew of Party People held their Annual Ball on February 15, 2013. I had a blast. I purchased my dress for this year’s ball from Kiyonna.  I absolutely love it! I love it so much that you definitely see it again, but I will remix the styling a little.