Help Make Mardi Gras a National Holiday Contest

Other posts by CajunMama

Louisiana celebrates Mardi Gras as a state holiday each year. Schools, state and local governments close down for a four-day weekend. Zatarain’s, one of my favorite certified Louisiana cooking products, has started a movement to make Mardi Gras a national holiday.

TravelingMamas.com thinks this is an awesome idea. In fact, we’ve already signed our names so that Congress will know just how serious we are about this. So, go check out the Motion for Mardi Gras. Sign your name, and then come back here to tell us in the comments you did it (or not) and you’ll be entered to win this awesome gift pack of food items to help you celebrate Mardi Gras, wherever you live. (U.S. residents only; enter until midnight Tuesday, February 17.)

Here’s a little video of my Rules of Mardi Gras, just in case you are new to the Mardi Gras experience, which is a fun, family time of year. If you can’t see this in your browser, you to our YouTube Page.

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February 11, 2009 | Filed Under Culinary Travel, Destinations, Travel News 

Comments

7 Responses to “Help Make Mardi Gras a National Holiday Contest”

  1. Lisa B. says:
    February 11, 2009 at

    Of course I signed it! We don’t even get the holiday in North Louisiana…sure wish we did though!

  2. Dot says:
    February 14, 2009 at

    OK. I entered. Should be a national holiday!

  3. Patty Lee says:
    February 17, 2009 at

    Armand St. Martin, New Orleans entertainer and pianoman, and his wife/partner Patty Lee have been officially trying to “Make Mardi Gras A National Holiday” for nearly 30 years. Glad folks want it to become a national holiday because these two spearheaded this brilliant idea and solely have fought for this cause in their “Mardi Gras All Year ‘Round” music shows, and they have been working on this mission to “Make Mardi Gras a National Holiday” for a very long time. This isn’t Zatarain’s brainchild, this is the St. Martin’s. They hope folks will continue to rally behind their fun-time mission which has been well-publicized for decades. (myspace.com/armandstmartin)

  4. CajunMama says:
    February 17, 2009 at

    Hi Patty -

    Thanks for letting us know that you and your husband are all for Mardi Gras being a National Holiday. I wasn’t aware of your show before, so now I have something new to check out. I think it is so great when we can all work together as a community, like making Mardi Gras a National Holiday.

  5. Keith Metoyer says:
    February 22, 2009 at

    Keith M
    No,what the hell is wrong with you?By doing this you agree to stripping away the only qualities that make this area unique.If this floats my city will face an enormous economis loss.Hospitaliy is new orleans beating heart.mardi gras is New orleans largest money maker.Do you honesly think that the manager and the clerks and the room service people want to lose there job.So shame on zatarains for even purposing such an event.They are a native bussiness seeking to earn more money.

    You can respond to my comments at empire8keith@yahoo or hotmail.com

  6. CajunMama says:
    February 23, 2009 at

    This is what the Motion for Mardi gras states:

    No one knows Mardi Gras quite like New Orleans! To help shine the spotlight on the Crescent City – and spread the spirit of authentic Mardi Gras celebrations from coast to coast – Zatarain’s, a New Orleans tradition since 1889, is leading an effort to petition Congress to declare Mardi Gras a national holiday.

    To commemorate the initiative and give back to the Big Easy, Zatarain’s will also make a donation to the Rebuild Fund of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. The Greater New Orleans Foundation, established in 1983, is the regional leader of philanthropy, awarding more than $100 million to community nonprofit organizations since its inception.

    If anything, Mardi Gras being a National holiday just might bring more people down here to Louisiana to spend their money. I support tourism, so any opportunity to promote special events that bring in tourists only helps, not hurts local economies.

  7. PATTY says:
    February 24, 2009 at

    Hi CajunMama!

    Enjoying your comments! However, to set the record straight, The St. Martins of New Orleans have been “leading the effort to petition Congress to declare Mardi Gras a national holiday” since the early 1980’s, not Zatarain’s. It is, and has been, musician Armand St. Martin’s brainchild cause and mission for nearly three decades. The St. Martins spearheaded this mission, have worked to promote and publicize their original concept and cause and positive upbeat-activities. While Zatarain’s is a large corporation and generous in that they can award millions to non-profits since 1889, Pianoman Armand St. Martin entertained over 250 shows just in 2008 in New Orleans with approx. half of them being pro-bono to “give back to the community of New Orleans”. For an individual musician, in Post Katrina times particularly, to give back that much to his community is commendable. The St. Martins continue with their original project that they conceived to “Make Mardi Gras a National Holiday!” Their theme has always been that promoting New Orleans in a positive light is productive for all. HAPPY MARDI GRAS EVERYBODY 2009 AND “LET’S MAKE MARDI GRAS A NATIONAL HOLIDAY!”

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