"Laissez les bon temps rouler!"

King Cake, originally uploaded by CherryTeaCakes.com.

Translation: "Let the good times roll!"

Thanks to a fun article from last week's Keesler News, I have some Mardi Gras factoids for ya! I didn't know half of this stuff... nor did I know Mardi Gras is SUCH a big deal down here! :o)

Did you know about the king cake tradition? It's a crown-shaped pastry decorated in the Mardi Gras colors. It's supposed to symbolize the visit of the wise men to baby Jesus. There's usually a tiny plastic baby hidden inside, and if you find it in your piece of the cake you traditionally have good luck for a year! You also get to "rule" for the day... and have to supply the king cake at the next party!

Did you know that the Mardi Gras colors are purple, green, and gold? Purple stands for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.

Local Christmas tress are often left up and transformed into Mardi Gras trees.

In this area, Mardi Gras is a school holiday, instead of Presidents Day. No joke!

Biloxi was the first Mississippi Gulf Coast city to celebrate Mardi Gras with a formal city parade in 1908.

This year, Mardi Gras falls on March 8th. The Keesler news listed TWENTY TWO parades in the local area between February 19th and March 8th. I'm *pretty* sure we can make it to at least one of them! :o)