This year, St. Charles is hosting their own Mardi Gras celebration in Frenchtown by having a family-friendly Mardi Gras Parade on Feb. 18. It starts at 11 a.m. and parades down Second Street, and ends at the Foundry Art Centre parking lot where they are having an after-party from noon to 2:00 p.m.

“It’s fun to come together and just have a reason to get together with people and party,” French teacher Jenny Liberson said.

Even if this holiday originated in New Orleans, it has spread to many places beyond. It serves as a time for people to get together and celebrate with family and friends even if they celebrate Lent or not. This is why Frenchtown is doing a parade which allows anyone to come.

“I think it’s a fun thing that should keep being celebrated and I think it’s important to remember the origins of New Orleans and all that stuff,” Liberson said.

Mardi Gras is a widely known holiday that has been celebrated for hundreds of years and is specifically well known for its decorations and colors. Especially in New Orleans, the celebration is huge and includes parades, decorations and music.

“New Orleans is huge, they have a week of festivities and they shut things down,” Liberson said.

The holiday Mardi Gras is celebrated on Fat Tuesday, which is the last day before Lent for Christian groups. It can fall on any day between Feb. 9 and March 3, but this year, it falls on Feb. 21.

“I think it’s just like the fun-like cultural aspect of New Orleans, and the strong cultural presence it has there kind of like stems out everywhere else,” Liberson said. “And I don’t think that is the case with a lot of holidays.”