No one really knows where or when the custom started. Some people trace it to the Romans, whose pagan orgies were held during the spring season. No one celebrates Mardi Gras like New Orleans, the City that Care Forgot!

The French in New Orleans were having private masked balls and parties since 1718, but when the Spanish government took over, parties and street dancing were banned. Bummer. It wasn't until 1827, when Americans were in power, that the right to party in mask was restored. Yay!

During the 1850's, the city's elite and their elegant Mardi Gras parties were quite a contrast to the wild partying and near-rioting in the streets, but all celebrations again were in danger of facing another ban.

In Christian communities around the world, the 40 days preceding Easter comprise Lent, a period of fasting and penitence, beginning with Ash Wednesday. For much of the country the Tuesday before Lent is just that, a Tuesday, but in New Orleans this Tuesday is "Mardi Gras" or "Fat Tuesday," representing the last gasp of decadence before a period of austerity.

LINGO

BALL (ball masque, tableau ball) - a themed masked ball where the krewe royalty is presented to the club members

BOEUF - a large bull or ox, representing the ancient symbol of the last meal before the Lenten season of fasting

CAPTAIN - the leader of each Carnival organization

CARNIVAL (from Latin carnivale) - translated to be farewell to the flesh (the feast of Epiphany) to midnight on Fat Tuesday (the day before Lent)

COURT - Mardi Gras King, Queen, maids and dukes of a Carnival organization

DEN - the location where the floats are built and stored

DOUBLOONS - aluminum objects resembling coins, which bear the insignia of the krewe on one side and the theme on the other; Rex krewe introduced the first one in 1960

FAVOR - these are souvenirs, given to friends or guests attending the krewe's ball by the members

FLAMBEAUX - torches, once the only source of light along the parade routes, now carried as part of the parade

INVITATION - the printed request for attendance to a Carnival ball

KING CAKE - an oval pastry with a small plastic doll inside;
the individual who finds the doll buys the next king cake

KREWE - a term first used by the Krewe of Comus in 1857 to name a Carnival organization

LUNDI GRAS (Fat Monday) - the day before Fat Tuesday

MARDI GRAS - the day before the beginning of Lent called Fat Tuesday

MARDI GRAS INDIANS - groups of black men dressed as representations of American Indians, outfitted with wonderful handmade, colorful outfits

Pralines - sweet handmade creole candy

THROWS - items thrown from floats by krewe members; these can be beads, plastic cups, doubloons, and toys

PARADES
Parades are the backbone of the Mardi Gras revelry. From Jan. 6 through Ash Wednesday, more than 60 Carnival parades wind their way through the streets of New Orleans. Krewes prepare for these dates for months, some since the previous Mardi Gras. While parades are scheduled virtually every day from Jan. 6 until Mardi Gras, the biggest and wildest parades are traditionally scheduled for the four-day Carnival weekend that immediately precedes Mardi Gras. Two of the biggest parades are Endymion, which bills itself as the largest nonmilitary parade in the world, and Bacchus, considered one of the best krewes in the city. These two krewes have a combined membership of 2,300 men, and are expected to toss more than 1.5 million cups, 2.5 million doubloons, and 200,000 gross of Mardi Gras beads to bystanders along their parade routes.

Known for their tendency to host celebrities, weekend parades tend to be packed with crowds. People drive from miles around for their chance to see well-known stars known to ride floats. Crowds fight for the prized throws, so beware the loss of fingers and other body parts.

For a more sedate time, choose Carnival Day (Tuesday). Early risers will get the best view along St. Charles Avenue. Or there are similar parades staged in suburban parishes. Parades start to trickle past by 9 a.m., and by 11 a.m. they're in full swing.

For a wild time, don't miss the parade scene on Mardi Gras day. Parade-goers are decked out in their most flamboyant costumes and makeup, the French Quarter and other parade areas are transformed into the world's largest costume party! French Quarter costumes and revelry usually border on lascivious, so if nudity and general rowdiness offend, stick to suburban routes.

Krewe members aren't the only participants in the parades; marching or walking clubs also are prominent features. Among the oldest of the marching clubs is the Jefferson City Buzzards, who took their first steps in 1890, and who take off from Audubon Park at about 6:45 a.m. for their leisurely stroll toward the downtown area. Another marching club, the Corner Club, gets afoot before 7:30 a.m. near the corner of Second and Annunciation Streets at about the same time Pete Fountain's Half-Fast Walking Club takes off from Washington and Prytania streets.

Truck parades are a permanent staple also. Comprising more than 350 decorated flatbeds with nearly 15,000 masked riders, these parades are a big hit. Families and friends meet weekends to decorate the trucks and create costumes for the riders.