Did you know that although the first celebration of Mardi Gras was in Louisiana in 1699, the first organized Mardi Gras celebration held in a city was in Mobile, AL in 1704? Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville established a French fort and settlement and called it Mobile at Twenty-seven Mile Bluff. It served as the capital of the French colony of Louisiana for almost a decade. This is where the first organized Mardi Gras celebrations began.

Get ready to shout at the parades! The more you shout, the more you get! If you are on the Alabama Gulf Coast on Fat Tuesday, you could attend both the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Mardi Gras Parades this year! The admission was completely free to the public. Parades all around the Alabama Gulf Coast, Mardi Gras is more about art, music, magic for kids of all ages, and generally good fun than it is about anything else! At about 12:00 this morning, people began to line the streets anxiously awaiting the BIG parade on Fat Tuesday and what a gorgeous day it was for a parade! It became a time of meeting the people surrounding you and certainly new friendships were formed as the crowd awaited the parade! The event was terrific for many, many reason because the streets due to this fabulous event! Gulf Shores and Orange Beach combined their parades to make a HUGE amazing parade this year so that thousands become a part of the excitement!

People lined the streets on "beach road." Many stayed for hours so that they could get a “prime location” to watch the colorful floats past by this year. Overall, "locals" agreed that it was the largest turnout they've seen in years here on our island paradise! It was fantastic to see these amazing and detailed floats as they soared pasted. One can only imagine how much time went into making each of the floats for this special day, Fat Tuesday, 2012. Lots of folks came over from Mobile this year stating that the parade there was, "just too big now and they prefer our parades because they didn't care to fight the crowds of people in Mobile anymore." We are certainly happy to have them join our island community to celebrate Marti Gras with us on, “Pleasure island.” A special thanks goes out to the men and women of the Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Police Departments for all that they do to make these events possible and safe for all who attend. The crowd was controlled and everyone seemed to enjoy the parade immensely. All of the floats were well stocked with all sorts of special items, especially those fantastic moon pies and beads! Each float shared generously with the spectators as they pasted throwing goodies to everyone alike.

What is the definition of Mardi Gras?

The terms "Mardi Gras" "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season," in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. 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; in English the day is sometimes referred to as Shrove Tuesday, from the word shrive, meaning "confess." Related popular practices are associated with celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. Popular practices include wearing masks and costumes, overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions, parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other European languages sharing the Christian tradition. In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.

In many areas, the term "Mardi Gras" has come to mean the whole period of activity related to the celebratory events, beyond just the single day. In some US cities, it is now called, "Mardi Gras Day," or, "Fat Tuesday."

The festival season varies from city to city, as some traditions consider Mardi Gras the entire period between Epiphany or Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday. Others treat the final three-day period before Ash Wednesday as the Mardi Gras. In Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras-associated social events begin in November, followed by mystic society balls on Thanksgiving, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Barranquilla, Colombia; Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago; Quebec City, Canada; Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico; and New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

Carnival is an important celebration in Anglican and Catholic European nations. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the week before Ash Wednesday is called, "shrovetide", ending on Shrove Tuesday. It has its popular celebratory aspects as well. Pancakes are a traditional food. Pancakes and related fried breads or pastries made with sugar, fat and eggs are also traditionally consumed at this time in many parts of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Definition of “Fat Tuesday”

Fat Tuesday is the traditional name for the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. It is more commonly known as Mardi Gras, which is simply Fat Tuesday in French. It gets its name from the custom, in many Catholic countries, of marking the day with feasting before the fasting season of Lent begins.

How did Mardi Gras begin?

In 1699, Mardi Gras was first mentioned in North America. A French explorer camped by the Mississippi River, fifty miles south of today's New Orleans, named Pierre le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, first brought the term to the United States.

Pierre knew that in his native country, France, March 3rd was being observed as a holiday, so he named the spot he was camped on Point du Mardi Gras.

By the 1700s, Mardi Gras was celebrated in both Mobile, Alabama, and in New Orleans, Louisiana. Somewhat more sedate then today's festivities, the day was celebrated with private balls. In both cities random streets played hosts to costumed citizens.

The first documented procession for Mardi Gras took place in 1837, but it was very different then the parades seen there today. The first modern-styled parade didn't occur until 1857, and was arranged by a group called the Mystik Krewe of Comus. The floats were lit by torches and depicted scenes from mythology and literature. After the American Civil War ended in 1865, more krewes sprung up adding to the number of floats and balls.

Today's celebrations are not that different from the ones in the 1860s. There are still parades full of floats and costumed people, and there are still balls held each year. In fact, the celebration is so famous it has become major tourist attraction for New Orleans drawing in millions of people from around the world for Fat Tuesday.

Mardi Gras Terms:

Krewe - a general name for the organizations and clubs that take part in the festivities. They are all non-profit organizations.

King Cake - an oval, sugared cake; sometimes with a plastic baby baked inside. The person that gets the baby is the, "king," and has to buy the next round of cakes for everyone.

Throws – refers to the inexpensive trinkets thrown from each float during the parades. This sets Mardi Gras apart from other parades.

Want to know a few facts?

• Each year 750,000 King Cakes are sold in New Orleans, while 50,000 more are shipped by over-night mail to other states;

• According to the New Orleans Sanitation Department, before recycling programs began 2,000 plus tons of debris from the last 12 days of parades was removed in the late 1980s;

• The celebration brings in $840 million in revenues for New Orleans alone.

• The official colors of Mardi Gras: purple (justice), green (faith), and gold (power) were picked in 1872, but weren't given their meanings until 1892;

• The first "throw" took place in 1871, when someone dressed as Santa Claus handed out gifts to the crowd from the 24th float in the Twelfth Night Revelers parade;

• The most used anthem of Mardi Gras is the song, "If Ever I Cease to Love."

HAPPY MARDI GRAS EVERYONE! If you missed it this year, it is okay just please plan to come and enjoy the fun and excitment at the Alabama’s gulf coast with us next season or even this summer! We have endless options for everyone and we’d love to share them with you as our welcomed guests. Our home will be your home while you are here so take a little time for yourself, relax and enjoy our bright, blue skies and our lovely, white soft sand beaches. There is nothing like putting your feet in the silky sand for the first time and feeling the sand between your toes. Our beach sunsets are absolutely amazing. Please come and put your toes in our lovely white sand, there is no other feeling like it in the entire world! Also, know that we welcome you no matter whom you are or where you stay.

The Welcome Centers are there for that purpose, to welcome you to our island home! They can provide you with an amazing variety of things to do during your stay regardless of the weather conditions. They have a rainbow of options and events for your family. The employees are there are fully trained to make your visit the best it can be so feel free to ask as many questions as you wish! Please don’t be shy as they are there to welcome and assist you.

The “locals” here on the island love our visiting friends and we consider you a welcome guest. Sharing our island paradise home with you lends us the opportunity to meet new friends from all over our beautiful country. Life at the beach is always an experience to behold and if you spend enough time with us, we’ll assist you in finding your way! We want you to experience everything and all you have to do is ASK! On behalf of Foley, Gulf Shores, and Orange Beach, “Welcome.”