Carnaval in Spain, Mardi Gras in the USA

 Today we talked about Pancake Day in the UK. Here's a poem about pancakes:

Pancake Poem

by Shel Silverstein

Who wants a pancake, Sweet and piping hot?

Good little Grace looks up and says,

"I'll take the one on top."

Who else wants a pancake,

Fresh off the griddle?

Terrible Teresa smiles and says,

"I'll take the one in the middle."

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 In the USA, we celebrate "mardi gras" or Fat Tuesday. 

This festival is from New Orleans, Louisiana. It is only an official holiday in Louisiana, but people have parties all over the United States to celebrate Mardi Gras. 

The Mardi Gras colors are gold, green and purple, which represent power, faith, and justice. There are special foods, like beignets (fried dough with sugar), and cakes shaped in ovals with a plastic baby inside, similar to Roscon de Reyes. 

Here is a video explaining some of the Carnival/mardi gras celebrations in New Orleans. You can see some of the floats that make up part of the parades:

Watch this video about New Orleans culture surrounding mardi gras. So we've seen that people join groups with themes for the parade, or "krewes"

 It has a very different culture than the rest of the United States, due to the mixing of African and French cultures in the area and the geography of the city. This celebration is not only marking the beginning of the Catholic month of fasting called "Lent", but is also part of Voodoo culture and beliefs, which Louisiana is known for. 
You may have heard of Voodoo before in movies like Princess and the Frog, which is set in New Orleans. It is stereotyped as dark magic, but it is a culture that is part of the festival and its history.