Today is Tuesday March 8, 2011
Mardi Gras
Today is Mardi Gras! Also known as Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras is a day of parades, masks, music, and celebration!
Mardi Gras has been celebrated in America since 1699, however it has been an eminent holiday in Paris since the Middle Ages! Mardi Gras is always the day before Ash Wednesday and is meant to be a day of celebration prior to the fasting season of Lent. Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday in French) was the day when families would try to get rid of all of their fattening food—eggs, butter, milk—in order to keep the house free of temptation for Lent. The result? Often, a whole lot of pancakes!
Mardi Gras is celebrated around the world. Each region has its own colorful customs and traditions. In Denmark, for example, there is a festival called the Fastelavn in which children play games and dress in costumes. In Italy, people attend the Carnival of Venice and wear beautiful Venetian masks. Fat Tuesday in New Orleans is a decadent celebration—full of jazz music, Zulu parades, and colorful costumes. Joie de vivre!
This week is Celebrate Your Name Week & Teen Tech Week & Chocolate Chip Cookie Week
"Images and text courtesy of MyPunchbowl.com" -- http://www.mypunchbowl.com/
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On this day in History:
| 1618 - Johann Kepler discovered the third Law of Planetary Motion. 1910 - In France, Baroness de Laroche became the first woman to obtain a pilot's license. 1911 - In Europe, International Women's Day was celebrated for the first time. 1948 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious instruction in public schools was unconstitutional. 1970 - Diana Ross opened her first outing as a solo performer in Framingham, MA. |
Quote of the Day:
"Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile initially scared me to death." --Betty Bender
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