While Mardi Gras is commonly intertwined with New Orleans, the true history of where the celebrations started lay in Mobile, AL, around 1703, making it an over 300-year-old tradition. Whether you live around Daphne, Fairhope, or other Alabama communities, the Mardi Gras tradition remains alive and well near Spanish Fort, AL.
Catholic Origins & Tourists Spread the Tradition
As mentioned above, the Mardi Gras celebrations came to the area now known as Mobile first, back in French Louisiana, as part of preparations for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. French settlers quickly spread the festivities up and down the Mississippi River for years until tourists to the area began to spread the celebrations much faster to other parts of the fledgling Gulf Coast states. By the time Biloxi became the second-ever capital of Louisiana, the Mardi Gras celebrations were already deeply rooted in the area's culture.
The original name for the festivities was Boeuf Gras, which meant "fat ox;" the name eventually changed to Mardi Gras, "fat Tuesday," a name we know and love today.
The Man Responsible
The man credited for helping the Mardi Gras tradition reach Mobile is Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville, who recorded the first observance of the celebrations in his journal in 1699. Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville lead the original band of early French explorers to the area.
Mardi Gras Continues Strong in Mobile Today
Mardi Gras is one of the most famous celebrations along the Gulf Coasts and continues to remain an important part of modern life for many people around Pensacola, FL, and other nearby areas. Folk from all over the country continue to visit Mobile yearly for the celebrations, participating in dances and parades with floats piled high with toys and candy. If there is any celebration around the Gulf Shores, Al, or Orange Beach, MS, that remains an integral part of the region's culture, it is Mardi Gras.
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