Where was Mardi Gras first celebrated in the United States?
Its a tricky question, similar to when was the first Thanksgiving, the answer(s) depend on what you mean by Mardi Gras, celebrate, who you ask, and even what you mean by The United States. Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, has pagan, pre-Christian origins, the Roman Catholic Church legitimized the festival as a brief celebration before the penitential season of Lent. In France, and other parts of Europe, the day was celebrated with religious services, feasting, dancing, street processions both religious and secular, and masked balls, common to other major dates (along with some general lasciviousness and debauchery associated especially with the masked balls). Mardi Gras arrived in North America with the LeMoyne brothers who found the mouth of the Mississippi River on March 3, 1699, Mardi Gras of that year. They made camp a few miles upriver, named the spot Point d’Mardi Gras and partook in a spontaneous party. This is often referred to as North America’s first Mardi Gras. The brothers later es
