New Orleans Mardi Gras history

Though its exact origins are subject to debate, the celebration known as Carnival came to be associated with Judeo-Christian tradition. In its earliest usage in medieval Europe, the Latin word carnelevare, from which "carnival" is derived (literally meaning "to lift up" or relieve from "flesh" or "meat"), may have referred to the beginning of the Lenten season of atonement and abstinence rather than the festive holiday customs that preceded Lent. In any case, over time it became established as the season of merriment that begins on the feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6), also known as Kings' Day or Twelfth Night (it’s the twelfth day of Christmas, the day the gift-bearing Magi visited the Christ child).

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Unmasked and the complete King Cake History