Thanks Jude for the information about Mardi Gras.
Our country is divided by some rivers and we have above(more protestant) and under(more catholic)the rivers. And the south part of our country celebrates also Carnaval and Fat Tuesday is a part of it. Here it starts in the weekend before Fat Tuesday and the ones with the longest breath are celebrating it for four or five days. Nowadays it's also a touristic event for people from other parts of the country and for many people it has nothing to do with religion. It's only the party that matters.
A big different between yours and ours is the music, because we have the humpapa and you have Cajun Music there [ .

Thanks, Jude. I used much of what you said at a gig last night, to explain the difference in the New Orleans and Lafayette Mardis Gras.

Hope you had a good one!

Still feel sorry for the chickens... -L-

You aren't the only one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn3GJWI1Saw

Hilarant.

Marc.

Thanks for that Jude! The meaning seems to get lost, even down here amongst family and friends born and raised here. It has become more "pagan" than Christian in years past. Whatever one's faith, at least know why we do it. Peace be with you man!

Well, hold my beer and watch this, here's the deal, about 4 years ago, we lost our Mardi Gras parade in Pecaniere, because the 18,19,20ish year olds thought it was all about getting drunk as fast as you can, then fall off their horse or the back of a float and **** near get killed. They had no clue what it's really about. The other think that burnt my toast, is here where I live, they have a huge Mardi Gras in downtown Port Arthur, Tx. I starts on Thursday and concludes on Sunday. So here, Mardi Gras OVER on Sunday. WRONG people. Mardi Gras hasn't even happened yet. It's Fat TUESDAY, not Thurs. Friday, Saturday or Sunday, but TUESDAY, the day before Ash Wednesday. I just felt these fools out there needed to know what the party was all about. Ok, I'll get off the soap box now, give me back my beer. Oh, I forgot, I gave up drinking for Lent

They don't want to give you Texans the two extra days off is why

Wow, Thanks a bunch for all that info Jude

I would have never known it was all started with/in a religious context... I been there quite a few times when younger. Never entered my mind..

To which I ask..

Where do the Cajun/Louisiana 'Indians' with the feather/bead costumes come into the picture..

Can anyone explain this.

tnx
Johnniez