It’s Mardi Gras Week, and some Duncan Middle School teachers and students can be seen wearing beads, representing the Mardi Gras culture.
Cathy Barker shows off her Mardi Gras spirit by wearing green, purple and gold.
Mardi Gras traces back to the Medieval European times and in the 17th and 18th centuries. It originated in French House in the Bourbons.
According to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website, in 1702, in the tiny settlement of St. Louis, the Americans celebrated their first Mardi Gras parade. New Orleans was established in 1718, and they have celebrated the long tradition of Mardi Gras ever since, according to the website.
Cathy Barker, DMS humanities teacher, dressed up in green, purple and gold as part of the celebration at DMS.
Barker said that she loves the Mardi Gras parade because it brings people from across the country to celebrate the holiday.
However, the celebration doesn’t always have a good reputation. She said she gets upset that the first thing people think of when they think of Mardi Gras is “Girls Gone wild ” or “ the drunk factor.”
“This is not true at all,” Barker said. “Mardi Gras is a celebration, not a rave.”
