New Orleans vs Mobile and the origins of Mardi Gras

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The saying goes... everywhere else it’s just Tuesday.

But in some other parts of the U.S., there are Mardi Gras celebrations.

The one in Mobile, Alabama can sometimes be controversial.

Many people who live in Mobile will tell you they are the “original mardi gras.” They claim to have created carnival celebrations first in 1703.

READ MORE Mardi Gras landed on the map in Louisiana in 1699

Mobile’s tourism website says the tradition was revived after the civil war when citizen Joe Cain, fed up with post-war misery, led an impromptu parade down city streets.

While it’s no marathon like in New Orleans, the community in mobile has around 40 parades all of carnival season.

For more about the origins of Mardi Gras, click here and see the video above.

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