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.
New Orleans has Louisianaâs largest and most known Mardi Gras, but nearly every community in the state has its own version of the annual party. Mardi Gras refers to events leading up to Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Mardi Gras, this year on Feb. 17, is French for Fat Tuesday, which refers to the practice of eating rich foods before the religious obligations of Lent. The period leading up to Fat Tuesday is known as the Carnival season. Parades are the most popular public activity during the days leading up to Fat Tuesday. Parades are organized by private social clubs called krewes. The New Orleans area has more than 60 parading krewes and there are many more throughout the state.