Is Carnival celebrated in the United States of America and if so, where and how ?
The biggest Carnival in the US is of course Mardi Gras which has been celebrated for about 300 years (that’s a long time here) in the French Quarter of New Orleans Hundreds of thousands of people attend. After dark it kind of degenerates into a drunk-fest but during the day there are parades with competitive floats by “Krewes” that have been around for generations. There are costumes and food stalls all to have a great party before the 6 weeks of lent. Several cities have a version of Carnival. In San Francisco we have Carnival patterned after the one in Rio. We celebrate in May rather than February because of the weather but we have a parade, food stalls, entertainment, dance contests and everybody sambas in the street. Several cities have big St. Patricks Day celebrations and the Italian Americans celebrate Columbus Day here in October. In New York the Puerto Rican Pride Day is a big deal. There are 2-7 day celebrations everywhere for the local product.
Actually, there are many different street carnivals of various types in large multi-ethnic cities such as New York and Chicago. Some are even associated with Lent as the Dutch celebration is. However, novagabriel is correct. Our specific version that relates to Carnival is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and is celebrated primarily in New Orleans and environs as a hold-over from French and Roman Catholic customs. Although my SIL is actually Greek Orthodox in terms of religion, since she is from New Orleans Mardi Gras as well as Greek Easter mean party-time at her house in Texas. In truth, any time she can get a group of people together to eat, drink, dance, and throw dishes is a day worth celebrating. Wikipedia puts it very succinctly: “United States Main article: Mardi Gras Carnival celebrations, usually referred to as Mardi Gras, are common in the Gulf Coast area of the Southern United States, including Texas and the western Panhandle of Florida. They originated in the onetime French Colon
then the granddaddy of Carnival celebrations in the US is the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. It is also celebrated in several other cities (e.g. Galveston) but NO is the best known. A large part of Mardi Gras (which means Fat Tuesday) is celebrated in the streets. Sources: http://www.mardigrasday.
Actually, there are many different street carnivals of various types in large multi-ethnic cities such as New York and Chicago. Some are even associated with Lent as the Dutch celebration is. However, novagabriel is correct. Our specific version that relates to Carnival is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and is celebrated primarily in New Orleans and environs as a hold-over from French and Roman Catholic customs. Although my SIL is actually Greek Orthodox in terms of religion, since she is from New Orleans Mardi Gras as well as Greek Easter mean party-time at her house in Texas. In truth, any time she can get a group of people together to eat, drink, dance, and throw dishes is a day worth celebrating. Wikipedia puts it very succinctly: “United States Main article: Mardi Gras Carnival celebrations, usually referred to as Mardi Gras, are common in the Gulf Coast area of the Southern United States, including Texas and the western Panhandle of Florida. They originated in the onetime French Colon
