Right about this time, the cult of Sol Invictus, or "the invincible Sun" came to rise, based on the premise that the Sun was the most powerful of all the gods, making it one of the first monotheistic religions.  Over 300 years after the birth of Christ, the Roman Emperor Diocletian, an ardent Sol Invictuan, got it into his head that a new religion called Christianity was becoming a problem, and should be stamped out.  On the advice of his friend Galerius (who, history tells us, was a bad influence on Diocletian to begin with), he gave the order to burn some important Holy Scriptures and tear down the Christian's churches. 
Well, nothing earns the public's support quite like an underdog, and the Christians at that time were just that.  So much so that Emperor Constantine later combined the ceremonies of the Sol Invictus with the growing belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God.  Thus, the Holy Roman Empire was declared, its religion dubbed Christianity, and its church to be forever known as the Catholic, or  'universal',  church.
(The moral here is, never underestimate the underdog.  But, we digress...)

Unfortunately, everyone not  in the Holy Roman Empire was unaware of the changes, presumably because they were so busy attending festivals every other hour.  This began a 1,500-year outreach program to make that 'universal' tag mean something.  Faithful political and military leaders began conquering everyone not already in the club as it were, and following Constantine's example, began re-interpreting their religious traditions, and re-working them to fit the molds of Christianity.  Over the millenia, the Catholic church grew quite large indeed, even after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, and eventually took in a great many cultures and traditions.  And the workable parts of those ancient celebrations were divided up into neat little holidays, many of which are still celebrated today.  The gift-giving, decorating, and harvest-end feasts of the Sol Invicta and Satunalia became the Twelve Days of Christmas, including New Year's Day.  The Christian legends of the Three Wise Men would inspire Twelfth Night and Epiphany, the beginning of Carnival (why do the dates change every year?  Because Easter is set by the Druidic lunar calendar, which is very difficult to follow without a moondial and a Druid).  The month-long ritual celebrations of Februalia inspired the preparations for the Tuesday before Lent, commonly known as Fat Tuesday.  To this one day, the rowdy celebrations, masquing, and misrule of Sacaea, Lupercal, and Dionysus (remembered in New Orleans by the Roman appelation Bacchus) were consigned.  Lent, the 40 days of penitence and sacrifice hearkens back again to Februus.  And the Juno Februa cult ultimately contributed to the traditions surrounding modern Valentine's Day (no, none of the 3 men believed to be St. Valentine were particularly romantic, but that's another story.)

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THE EUROPEAN INFLUENCE

Now, as often happens, after everything got arranged and everyone was on the same page, people began improvising and adding things to the holidays.  Necessarily, since New Orleans was settled by Europeans, our history now switches over to Western Europe.  Our first stop is France in the 1500's.  We owe a large part of our city and our native Mardi Gras to the French.  And leave it to those saucy French to present us with a favourite tradition without even trying!  It is here that the king cake finds its beginnings in the houses of the nobility.  Originally baked for Twelfth Night festivities, a large cake was fortified with two hidden beans, one black and one white.  When a gentleman found the black bean in his slice, he was awarded the office of King for the evening, with the lady who found the white bean named as Queen.  No one is quite sure what happened if a gentleman found the white bean or a lady the black bean...but it's fun to wonder!

But, what is a cake without a meal to accompany it?  The French also gave us the tradition of the Boeuf Gras, or the 'fatted ox.'  On Fat Tuesday, the largest, fattest ox would be draped in garlands of flowers and herbs, and marched through the streets by the roi des bouchers ('king of the butchers') and the other bouchers following along behind with various livestock.  At the end of the end of the line, the bouchers did what bouchers do, and everyone stuffed themselves silly.  Remember, carnivale is based on the Latin meaning 'farewell to flesh'.  It was traditional to leave off all meat during Lent as a standard sacrifice; many Catholics still abstain today.  So, why not go out with a bang?  However, these were not to be the French's only contributions to Mardi Gras in The City that Care Forgot.
 

Next up, the Italians and the British Empire weigh in with their contributions to the party.

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