Standing in the streets of Muncie during Mardi Gras could either be the most exhilarating experience or one of complete shock.
People are everywhere, screaming and shouting in drunken delight, nudity flashes from every direction, beads are being thrown, masks disguise the people surrounding you, the stench of alcohol retreats into the air and cheering rings in your ears as everyone indulges on short term pleasure.
Today is the day when all the above are considered socially acceptable. Mardi Gras, or "Fat Tuesday," has arrived. Mardi Gras is evolving, growing wilder every year and the world is taking a grand leap in celebrating before they shove aside their indulgences and prepare for Lent.
The history of Mardi Gras begins with the notion that Europeans wanted to explore and gain control over land in North America, particularly the area by the Mississippi River. If the Europeans could control this area, then they would control the greatest amount of the fur trade from Canada and the Great Lakes region.
Although there were a few explorers who journeyed on this adventure, it was the French explorer Pierre LeMoyne, whose formal title was Sieur Iberville, who would ultimately succeed.
Iberville, who was a soldier and naval commander, wanted to gain control over the Louisiana territory to earn profit. According to New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation, on the night of March 3, Iberville and his men decided to rest in an area 60 miles south of what is now New Orleans. Since that day was a holiday in Europe, Iberville and his men "christened the site as Point du Mardi Gras."
The original holiday was derived from the Roman Lupercalia celebrations, which were similar to a circus. The church became involved and turned the holiday into a time to celebrate before Lent, and as it passed through Europe, the French made the holiday especially indulgent, hence the name "Fat Tuesday."
Even though the city transferred to Spanish rule after the French defeat in the Seven Years' War, the New Orleans citizens lived as though they were still a French colony and continued to celebrate Mardi Gras with masked balls. The Spanish put a halt to this by enacting prohibition, and the Spanish governor Antonio de Ulloa came to New Orleans with 75 soldiers. It continued to affect New Orleans until 1823, when the Creole people influenced the American governor, who then allowed the celebration to begin again. Soon, street masks became legal again.
The original celebration of Mardi Gras was very different from how it is celebrated today. People in masks would roam the streets in carriages or ride on horseback. In 1857, the Comus, a group of six Protestant businessmen who named their organization after the Greek god of drinking and revelry, organized the parades with floats that held a common theme and afterwards a ball.
During World War I, Mardi Gras was canceled because of the intense amount of fighting that occurred. The celebration of Mardi Gras returned, even though its existence during Prohibition and the Great Depression put a slight the celebrations.
Today Mardi Gras gives people a time to set aside worries and celebrate before Ash Wednesday and Lent, a period of time when Christians give up something meaningful in remembrance of Jesus Christ sacrificing his life.
While Mardi Gras is a time for celebration in America, this isn't the case in all countries. In England, people traditionally eat pancakes and get rid of their eggs and fatty foods.
Ball State University theater student Keaton Wooden is more intrigued by the Lent activities in the Caribbean.
"Literally, what's interesting to me is a hop, skip and a jump over the Gulf of Mexico," Wooden said. "Mardi Gras is scary and somewhat violent. The holiday is a Voodoo celebration in Haiti that's somewhat terrifying."
However you choose to celebrate Mardi Gras, make it a night to remember.
Three essentials to making Mardi Gras the perfect celebration.
1. For that perfect cocktail to drink throughout the night, enjoy the Hurricane to bring some flavor and swing to the party:
1 ounce Bacardi 151 Proof Rum
1 ounce White rum
1 ounce Dark rum
1/2 ounce Grenadine
3 ounces orange juice
3 ounces pineapple juice
Crushed Ice
Source: http://www.mardigrasday.com/mardigras/food.php?file=hurricane.html
2. Wear a mask to disguise yourself for the celebration. Outline your mask with purple, which represents justice; yellow, representing power; and green, representing faith. Add feathers and decorate with sequins that shimmer at every angle. Take glitter glue and write words that you feel represent your personality.
Source: Compucast Interactive (http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/mgcolors.html)
3. Find the perfect music. There's no way to celebrate if there isn't music and what better way to get in the New Orleans spirit then by playing "Fire on the Bayou" by The Neville Brothers, which was listed by Mardi Gras Digest as one of the best Mardi Gras songs. Other songs that may liven up the celebration include "Carnival Time" by Al Johnson or "Mardi Gras City" by the Olympia Brass Band.
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