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A New Mardi Gras for a New Orleans

By KSEE Sales
February 12, 2013 Updated Feb 12, 2013 at 3:38 PM PDT

This Mardi Gras is a special one for New Orleans.

It will mark 30-years that the French Quarter festival has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors to enjoy its Fat Tuesday festival. Here are some interesting facts about Mardi Gras, which in French means Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras has been a legal holiday in New Orleans, since 1875.

More than 70 parades roll through the streets with tens of thousands of masked visitors on board throwing millions of plastic beads. The tradition of throwing beads from floats dates back to renaissance Europe.

Fat Tuesday is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, which is the 40 day Solemn Lenten season, observed by Christians leading up to Easter Sunday. Amanda Jaurigu spoke to the president and CEO of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and has more.

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