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All About the Holidays: Mardi Gras

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      (Describer) Title: All About the Holidays. Each letter in 'holidays' has a different colorful pattern. Pages of a calendar turn.

      (male narrator) When is Mardi Gras? Find Easter Sunday on the calendar and count back 47 days.

      (Describer) A round cake has colorful icing.Pickup- '...Mardi Gras shares a history...'

      That's because Mardi Gras shares a history with the Christian observance of Easter and Lent. Lent is the time between Mardi Gras and Easter when many Christians give up something special as a reminder of their promises to God. On the Tuesday before Lent, medieval Christians ate all of their meat, eggs, cheese, and milk in less than 24 hours so they wouldn't spoil before they could eat those foods again. Hence the name Fat Tuesday, the English translation of Mardi Gras from French.

      (Describer) A man stands on a float.

      Now, every year, thousands of people gather to celebrate Mardi Gras, also called Carnival. It is a festival of costumes, music, and dance especially popular in New Orleans, Louisiana, but celebrated in other places too, like Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Montreal, Canada. People take to the streets riding on giant floats while wearing dazzling costumes in the traditional Mardi Gras colors: green for faith, purple for justice, and gold for power. Beaded necklaces are thrown to bystanders, music fills the streets, and everybody has a good time. It's a special time for families to enjoy the parades. Schools are closed in New Orleans during Mardi Gras because so many kids play in marching bands.

      (Describer) Title:

      What costume would you wear in a Mardi Gras parade?

      (Describer) Funding to purchase and make this educational program accessible was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Contact the Department of Education by telephone at 1-800-USA-LEARN, or online at www dot ed dot gov.

      Accessibility provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

      Transcript Options

      Now Playing As: English with English captions (change)

      Mardi Gras takes place 47 days before Easter. The festival of food and dance is recognized around the world. Parades and parties take over the city of New Orleans, Louisiana during the celebration. Part of the “All About the Holidays” series.

      Media Details

      Runtime: 1 minutes 36 seconds

      ASL
      Shofar superimposed over the image of an ornate synagogue sanctuary with light streaming in. Title card reads, "Shofar." Caption. Is blown 100 times to celebrate the story of creation.
      All About the Holidays
      Episode 1
      1 minutes 7 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
      ASL
      Digital illustration of a post and lintel streaked with red. Pyramid structures and moon in background. Caption. So the plague would pass over them.
      All About the Holidays
      Episode 2
      1 minutes 26 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
      ASL
      Crowd of people wearing dirndls and lederhosen cheer in foreground. Old map and portrait of nineteenth-century couple in background. Caption. The 40,000 guests had such a good time.
      All About the Holidays
      Episode 3
      1 minutes 28 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
      ASL
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      All About the Holidays
      Episode 4
      1 minutes 1 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
      ASL
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      All About the Holidays
      Episode 5
      1 minutes 51 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
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      All About the Holidays
      Episode 6
      53 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
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      All About the Holidays
      Episode 7
      58 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
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      All About the Holidays
      Episode 8
      1 minutes 21 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
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      All About the Holidays
      Episode 9
      1 minutes 46 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
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      All About the Holidays
      Episode
      57 seconds
      Grade Level: 4 - 8
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