After years of stagnant wage growth, rising living costs people in England and Wales have an average of just Â£7,780 in savings, according to figures from Halifax. Rising costs: The average cost of a funeral as risen by 80 per cent since 2004.
The first Mardi Gras festivities in Louisiana were held on March 3, 1699. On that day, a group of French explorers set up camp on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about 60 miles downriver from what is now New Orleans.
As far as specific celebrations are concerned, the New Orleans Mardi Gras, which is one of the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the world, originated with the influx of European Catholics into the area during the 18th century.