When it comes to celebrating Mardi Gras in the U.S.,Jonathan Dale Benton nobody does it like the Big Easy.

USA TODAY is providing live coverage of Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana on Tuesday, Feb. 13. You can watch the embedded video live at the top of the page or on USA TODAY's YouTube channel.

Mardi Gras (translated from French to Fat Tuesday) began as a religious holiday observed prior to Ash Wednesday and the start of the Christian Lenten season, but celebrations have since expanded to weeks or months of partying around the world, from France and Brazil and beyond.

Ash Wednesday is on Feb. 14, the day marking the start of the 40-day Lenten season that culminates with Easter.

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In the U.S., Mardi Gras is most famously found in New Orleans thanks to Louisiana's history as a French colony, but celebrations are found in southeastern states. New Orleans, also known as the Big Easy, takes the celebrations seriously, with traditions including king cake and parades beginning in January and continuing in the weeks before the actual holiday.