So today is Shrove Tuesday – also known as Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras is most celebrated in New Orleans, and their celebrations reach a grand scale every year, but it’s also celebrated by lots of people around the world before Ash Wednesday and is seen as a way to indulge before the start of Lent.

In New Orleans, the celebrations will start today and include parades, masquerades and parties all across the city. It would be great if we could all visit New Orleans for Mardi Gras as it is the hub of the celebrations but there are still lots of things you can do at home to get involved and enjoy the day.

Why not get all your family and friends together for a party or even a small get together? Here are some ideas to help get you in the spirit of Mardi Gras…

Make your own Mardi Gras masks – all you need is some feathers, sequins and glitter, and you can get these from any craft shop for a small amount. If you’re enjoying Mardi Gras with friends and family, why not turn it in to a competition to see who makes the most elaborate mask and have a prize for the winner.

Cook some Cajun-style dishes – it won’t feel like Mardi Gras without some traditional Cajun food! From catfish po’boys to jambalaya, Creole crab cakes to oysters beinville, you’ll find loads of different recipes online for some great Cajun dishes.

Dress up – you don’t need to go crazy, you could just wear the Mardi Gras colours of purple, gold and green but you definitely need the beads! Beads are an iconic part of the Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. You can buy Mardi Gras beads from lots of fancy dress shops and they won’t cost much at all.

Watch the parades on TV – as much as we know you’d love to travel to New Orleans to see the parades in real life, it may not be possible at the last minute so why not get cosy in your own home and watch the parades on TV; the media coverage is normally fantastic so you’ll feel like your there.

Bake a Kings Cake – no Mardi Gras celebration is complete without a Kings Cake to finish the day off! They’re easy to make and great fun to decorate so it’ll be a great activity to get the kids involved with. We’re sure plenty of our UK users will be making pancakes this evening as Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day.

Finally why not decorate your house with the Mardi Gras colours for the day? Beads, balloons, ribbons and masks will be easy enough to pick up from craft shops or fancy dress shops and won’t cost you much at all.

Happy Mardi Gras!