American holidays and celebrations

3. ETHNIC and Regional Holidays
Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday)
Mardi Gras is a holiday in some parts of the United States and often serves as a festive occasion featuring large celebrations. It is also known as Shrove Tuesday, as it is the last day before the long fast for Lent in many Christian churches. Shrove Tuesday is the last day before Lent, a period for fasting. It is also known as Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, and features large festivals and celebrations across the United States. The Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans, in Louisiana, is typical of the masquerades and dancing in the streets that take place in other parts of the United States before the long Lenten fast. [18]
Traditional Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans spotlight the King of the Carnival and the Monarch of Merriment, as well as Comus, the God of Revelry. Many people dress up in eye-catching costumes and a spectacular ball is held. Debutantes are introduced at the Ball Tablaeu as a formal introduction to society.
People throw trinkets to crowds as part of the customary “parade throw” at New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebration. During the Bacchus parade, the king's float throws doubloons with the image of the “Celebrity King” on one side of the doubloon (cups and toy coins) to parade watchers. Traditional Mardi Gras food includes the King Cake in which a pecan or charm is hidden. The person who gets a piece of the cake with the charm or nut is dubbed the “king” of that year’s Mardi Gras.
The Mobile and Baldwin counties in Alabama also celebrate Mardi Gras. Parade schedules start as early as January and feature marching bands, colorful floats, and crowds of parade goers along the streets in downtown Mobile. Galveston, in Texas, hosts its own Mardi Gras celebration, which features masked balls, a royal coronation, Cajun dances, jazz performances and parades with floats.
Mardi Gras is a state holiday in Louisiana. It is also marked as a holiday in the Baldwin and Mobile counties only in Alabama. Governing authorities of any municipality or county in Mississippi can declare this event as a holiday to replace any legal holiday except Martin Luther King’s Birthday (which is combined with Robert E Lee’s Birthday in the state). [8, P. 119-127]
Mardi Gras in the United States was first observed in Mobile when it was a colony of French soldiers in 1703. Mardi Gras was transformed into a parade event in 1840 by the Cowbellion de Rakin Society, the first of Mobile's organizations that journeyed to New Orleans in 1857 to help a group there set up a Mardi Gras celebration. The first Carnival society, known as the Mistick Kreweof Comus, took part in coordinating the event that year. The event was well received and continued until it was suspended during the American Civil War. Mardi Gras was one of the first local institutions to be revived after the war. It reappeared in 1866 and has continued to grow in modern times. A general article about Shrove Tuesday worldwide covers more informatio about its background and symbols.
St. Patrick’s Day
St Patrick's Day occurs on March 17 and is day to remember one of Ireland’s patron saints, St Patrick. It largely celebrates Irish-American culture in the United States, and the use of the color green is predominant.
St Patrick's Day celebrations concentrate on Irish themed parties, alcoholic drinks and food. People celebrating often dress in green clothing and may consume food and drink dyed green. Irish clubs and pubs often hold special events or promotions. Large street parades are held to mark St Patrick's Day in cities such as: Chicago, Boston, Houston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Denver, Detroit, Toronto, New York, New Orleans, Seattle.
Parades are held on Saturday, March 16, in New York during the years when March 17 is a Sunday. The parade is always held on the Sunday before March 17 in many other cities. Some people see St Patrick's Day as a celebration of the color green, rather than solely focusing on the Irish-American culture. Water is dyed green in public places in some towns. The most notable body of water that was dyed green was the Chicago River in 2005.