New+Orleans,+LA,+USA

CELEBRATES



**Name of your country: **United States of America
 * Name of your town: **New Orleans, Louisiana
 * Your school: **West Jefferson High School
 * My school: ****West Jefferson High School, also known as WJHS, and West Jeff is a public high school located in Harvey in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, just outside of New Orleans. It was founded in 1955. This is one of the schools in Jefferson Parish that offered the Laptop one to one initiative program. West Jefferson services students in grades 9-12: 812 African American, 251 Hispanic, 240 Caucasian (non-Hispanic), 87 Asian/Pacific Islander, and 8 American Indian/Alaskan Native students. **
 * Name of the event: **Mardi Gras
 * Type: ****It is a season of parades, balls (some of them masquerade balls), and parties. It has traditionally been part of the winter social season. **
 * When: ****The New Orleans Carnival season, with roots in preparing for the start of the Christian season of Lent, starts after Twelfth Night, on Epiphany (January 6.) The celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras in French), the day before Ash Wednesday. **
 * Place: **<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">New Orleans, Louisiana and the surrounding parishes
 * <span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Short description: **<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mardi Gras is celebrated with two weeks of parades **<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">. ****<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;">The major parades take place during the last five days of the season. The parades are organized by Carnival Krewes who toss throws to the crowds. Throws consist of strings of plastic colorful beads, doubloons, coconuts, decorated plastic throw cups, and small inexpensive toys. Crowds of people line the streets of New Orleans hoping to catch throws and see glimpses of the marching bands and lavishly decorated floats. **
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