Mardi Gras: Revelry before reverence

There is an indelible, 320-year connection between Mardi Gras and the local Catholic church. The first Mass on Louisiana soil was celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, March 3, 1699, for explorers Iberville and Bienville and their crew by Father Anastase on the banks of the Mississippi River at a spot called “La Pointe di Mardi Gras.” Read on to see how Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday and the 40 days of Lent are interrelated.

See the 3D FlipBook for the story below.