Mardi Gras. . . For all my northern friends

*Disclaimer* I am still just a northerner, so my southern friends might not want to read this, I am sure that I will botch some stuff up :o)

I don't know about you, but I always thought Mardi Gras was a one-day affair.  Maybe y'all are much smarter than me.  But I make no assumptions.

Mardi Gras is nearly a month long event.  The parades start three weekends before Mardi Gras, this first weekend even includes a kids parade "Little Rascals." Oh, and before I go much further, I can tell you that there are so many parades because each parade is hosted by a different "krewe."  The next two weekends are filled with parades all over the area.   Parades are an expensive business.  The people that ride in the parades pay a lot of money to ride AND they buy all of their "throws." The weekend before  Mardi Gras is crazy--there are parades on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday!  There are parades during the day, there are parades at night. . .

This box is filled with beads.

And not all parades involve nudity.  It is only the parades in the French Quarter that get really gaudy.  And from what I am told, it is all tourists that engage in the crazy behavior.