Beyond Bourbon St.

I recently learned that Mardi Gras, universally known as Carnival, celebrates the end of winter and the coming of Spring. The only reason I know this is that I looked it up. A bunch of my friends went to New Orleans 2 weekends ago for Mardi Gras. They were more excited to go there than to go on Spring Break. When I though about it I realized I didn't even know what Mardi Gras celebrated. I asked them... neither did they. It is weird that we can get so excited and go all out celebrating a holiday for which we don't even know the purpose or history. Even after having lived in New Orleans for 4 months last year, I myself was completely ignorant. I'm all for celebrating for the sake of having a good time, but it's funny that the point of a holiday is to celebrate a moment our culture found significant, yet many are clueless as to the occasion that one of the most celebrated holidays marks.