Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, is officially underway as hundreds of thousands of people flood the streets of New Orleans for the annual celebration marking the end of the pre-Lenten Carnival season.
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Kelly Schulz, senior vice president of communications and public relations for New Orleans & Company, was in the heart of the festivities Tuesday, where she said people lined up for hours ahead of the city's Zulu parade — a cornerstone of Mardi Gras.
"[It's] one of the iconic Mardi Gras parades that rolls today, Fat Tuesday," Schulz said. "We've been celebrating Carnival season since Jan. 6, but everything comes to an end today at midnight and then we'll get ready to do this all over again next year."
Schulz described Mardi Gras as a vibrant display of art, tradition and culture.
"Each parade, it's really a beautiful work of art if you think about the costumes and the floats and the artists that decorate all of these things," she said. "Each float has a different theme. It changes every year. What is consistent about Mardi Gras are the colors: the purple green and gold.
"It's something that is so important to us economically — tourism and culture are a huge part of our state," Schulz added. "But it's also so important culturally. We love nothing more than to welcome visitors to New Orleans and have the locals and visitors mix together beautifully. And we love to showcase to them the beads and all of the traditions that make New Orleans Carnival unique from anywhere else."
One sweet tradition stands out — the King cake. Schulz calls it one of her favorite parts of Mardi Gras, likening it to a giant cinnamon roll.
"The tradition is that within each cake there is a little plastic baby," Schulz said. "That baby signifies the baby Jesus. It's very much of a Catholic tradition and as it goes, if you are the one that gets the baby in your slice of cake, you have to bring the next King cake."
While Fat Tuesday signals the end of Carnival season, it also ushers in the 40-day period of Lent, commemorating the time Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. Many Christians observe Lent by giving up certain foods, habits or activities, while focusing on prayer and church attendance.
