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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1986)
By Molly Pepper Staff Writer For those with the time and money, Mardi Gras is little more than nine hours and $115 away on the MSC Travel Com mittee-sponsored trip to New Orleans this weekend. But those lacking time and money don’t have to miss out entirely. Alternative cele brations in Austin and Galves ton may not have the French Quarter, but they’re equally fes tive, more economical and closer by. The Austin celebration is in its fourth year. Held on Feb. 11, it will consist, officially, of a pa rade and a mascarade ball, sponsored by the Austin Cham ber of Commerce. The parade will start at 6:30 p.m. with floats sponsored by businesses and individuals from the Austin area. The Royal Court Masca rade Ball will begin at 8 p.m. at the Driskill Hotel on 6th Street. Unofficially though, the cele bration will be helped along by the owners of clubs and bars lining 6th Street, who’ve been left to plan their own Mardi Gras celebrations. With cos tume contests, street venders and musicians, the goal of 6th Street merchants is to make the street more crazy than usual, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people. Galveston sponsors another, longer celebration which began Feb. 1 and continues through Feb. 11. This celebration has been geared more toward fami lies and will have art exhibits and shows of all kinds through out the city. A children’s parade and another large parade to be held on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m., will be highlights of the celebration. The Galveston Chamber of Commerce is expecting about 250,000 people to attend the festival. These two celebrations won’t come close to the festivities in New Orleans but will have the same basic themes and activ ities of the original. Mardi Gras, which means “Fat Tuesday,” began as a final celebration before the 40-day Lenten period of abstainance, i repentance, and reconciliation. Historically, the Mardi Gras pe riod begins on Jan. 6, and ends on Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter. The first Mardi Gras was held in New Orleans in 1857 but the idea of having a celebration be fore Lent dates back to the pre- Christian period. It was originally an agricul tural rite meant to represent the death of nature in the win ter and her re-birth in the spring. The Catholic Church later re-interpreted it to have religious meanings. In other parts of the world I this pre-Lent celebration is called Carnival, and is cele brated in many countries in Eu rope. Even the USSR, where Ash Wednesday isn’t even observed, has a week long carnival that highlights the year. Seventh Annual Aggie Independent Film and Video Festival Tuesday, February 11 and Tuesday, February 18,1986 7:30 p.m., MSC Ballroom (rm 201) Admission Free For additional information call 845-2247 or 845-8501 : A Valentine Fantasy Exciting and Beautiful Gifts of Unique Lingerie at Affordable Prices Gift Counseling for Men • Larger Sizes Available corsets • gowns • teddies • baby dolls • garter belts hose • gloves • play sets • men’s items • body lotions 4325 Wellborn Rd. Westgate Center 8464190 4 — '• U < u \;. 1 - ! '.V.V ' ,Y/Y;/YY.W-'J.' * ' • *.*'.*> Oj *.» *. f ,»7U J .U