July 2012 Mardi Gras in JULY
July 14 Mardi Gras in JULY! This is a ton of fun. But you knew that, right?
HISTORY: Mardi Gras is a celebration going back 800 years to the Carnival tradition of Venice. Carnival became wildly popular and spread through Europe. In Paris and French-speaking cities like Montreal and (at that time)New Orleans, the festival's name - Mardi Gras - literally means "Fat Tuesday" because it is the day before Ash Wednesday - the beginning of Lent. PHILOSOPHY Carnival and Mardi Gras are mid-winter celebrations - and don't we need something to brighten-up our long damp Seattle winter? Carnival is about feasting, wearning masks, making merry, musical parades and dances, and whatever other things you enjoy. WHAT IT IS Rainier Valley Rotary's Mardi Gras in JULY? The party featurs traditional live music in the upstairs, plus recorded music and karaoke for dancing downstairs.
