It’s that special time of year when Mardi Gras comes to visit and there’s nowhere better to party than at 4Play Lounge Strip Club. Mardi Gras is celebrated all over the world, but has its origins in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it is still a state holiday even to this day. Mardi Gras starts 12 days after Christmas and continues until the evening before Ash Wednesday.
The final day of the celebration is known as ‘Fat Tuesday’!
Origins
Mardi Gras began long ago, in medieval times. The carnival can be traced back to Rome, Venice and France, eventually coming to America in 1703. A French/Canadian explorer named Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur De Bienville brought it to a tiny settlement 60 miles south of New Orleans after realising that he had landed on the eve of the festival.
Celebrations continued in the same vein from 1703 until 1861, when a bull’s head was paraded through the streets to mark Lent and the associated period of fasting. This became known as ‘Fat Tuesday’. Secret societies known as ‘Krewes’ continue to be heavily involved in putting on the annual Mardi Gras show. As time went on, the parades of people and decorated carriages they put on grew larger and more flamboyant.
By the late 1800s, newspapers began to advertise Mardi Gras as a carnival event. Meanwhile, construction of the floats formerly made in France switched to New Orleans. Because the events are purely funded by private organisations, Mardi Gras has been nicknamed the ‘Greatest free show on Earth’.
Traditional Colours
Purple, green and gold have become known as the official colours of Mardi Gras. When the Grand Duke Alexis visited New Orleans from Russia, he handed out beads in these specific colours to everyone at the carnival because they reminded him of his homeland. Since then, the colours have been given other meanings for the festivities: Gold is for power, green represents faith and purple stands for justice.
Krewes
Secret societies are known to finance and run many of the Mardi Gras processions, and these currently number as many as 70. When the US government tried to outlaw masked balls, which included Mardi Gras, a secret society named the Mistick Krewe of Comus revitalised the carnival in 1803, at a time when it was beginning to lose its popularity. They held a parade called ‘The Demon Actors in Milton’s Paradise Lost’ and put on a spectacular ball. This renewed enthusiasm for Mardi Gras and the festival has grown in stature ever since.
King Cake
This particular Mardi Gras cake only gets eaten during these celebrations. It is made with brioche dough, cinnamon and a delicious glaze in the colours gold, purple and green. The main feature that distinguishes this cake from any other is that there is a tiny plastic baby hidden inside. The person who finds the baby must pay for the next cake!
Although there may not be cake at 4PLay Lounge, there will be an abundance of sexy ladies waiting for you to join the party! Our Mardi Gras celebration takes place on 28 February, so don’t miss out on all the fun!
