Mardi Gras
The French are responsible for bringing the tradition of Mardi Gras to New Orleans. The first Mardi Gras parade in America was held in Mobile, Alabama in 1711. The first floats rolled in 1835, and in 1871, parade-goers were able to catch the first “throws.” Here is how the tradition of the baby in the King Cake got started. One of the krewes put a golden bean in a cake, and whoever got the piece of cake with the bean became the queen of the parade.