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Dairy Block's Petite Parade Was a Miniature Mardi Gras Mania

Sunday, February 23, 2020 at 11:26 a.m.

Jacqueline Collins Mardi Gras, French for "Fat Tuesday," is the Christian feasting celebration that precedes Lent. 1/26

Jacqueline Collins The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to medieval Europe, where it began making its way to America via Rome and Venice in the 17th and 18th centuries, then on through the French House of the Bourbons. 2/26

Jacqueline Collins Masks have always been part of Mardi Gras culture. 3/26

Jacqueline Collins Organized by the krewe, members of a secret society, masks provided anonymity for Mardi Gras leaders. 4/26

Jacqueline Collins At Denver's Dairy Block Petite Parade, floats were limited to two feet by two feet by three feet. 5/26

Jacqueline Collins Participants came up with all sorts of unique ideas, from this circus float... 6/26

Jacqueline Collins ...to this little Fire Chief. 7/26

Jacqueline Collins Star Wars made an appearance, too. 8/26

Jacqueline Collins As did Buzz Lightyear. 9/26

Jacqueline Collins Jugglers and stilt-walkers also joined the parade. 10/26

Jacqueline Collins Leading the masses was one of Denver's best brass bands. 11/26

Jacqueline Collins The musicians were happy to lead the parade. 12/26

Jacqueline Collins Floats in the parade competed for various awards. 13/26

Jacqueline Collins Contestants could win "Most Original Float," "Best Team Theme," "Best Family Float," "Funniest Float" and more. 14/26

Jacqueline Collins There were only two rules for the contestants. 15/26

Jacqueline Collins Every float must be family-friendly. 16/26

Jacqueline Collins And no glitter bombs. 17/26

Jacqueline Collins Teams got extra points for dressing to match their float. 18/26

Jacqueline Collins The colors purple, green and gold are official Mardi Gras colors. 19/26

Jacqueline Collins Purple stands for justice, gold for power; and green for faith 20/26

Jacqueline Collins The Petite Parade offered plenty of activities for little ones. 21/26

Jacqueline Collins Mask-making was among the arts and crafts. 22/26

Jacqueline Collins There were also adult cocktails, for the older participants. 23/26

Jacqueline Collins This fun event had some parade-goers jumping for joy. 24/26

Jacqueline Collins Others celebrated on the sidelines. 25/26

Jacqueline Collins Ash Wednesday is right around the corner, so get your fill of festivities before Lent arrives. 26/26

Dairy Block's Petite Parade Was a Miniature Mardi Gras Mania

On Saturday, February 22, a mini Mardi Gras paraded through Denver's Dairy Block. The Petite Parade showcased homemade shoebox floats, or tableaux cars, in honor of Fat Tuesday. Musicians, families, artists and more turned up to celebrate.

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