| A | B |
|---|
| ball | A masked dance with a specific theme. |
bouef gras,  | The fatted bull or ox, an ancient symbol of the last meat eaten before the Lent |
| captain | The absolute leader of each Carnival organization. |
carnival,  | Translated: "farewell to flesh" |
court,  | The King, Queen, maids, and dukes of a Carnival organization. |
| den | A large warehouse where floats are built and stored. |
doubloons,  | Aluminum coin-like objects thrown from floats. |
| Fat Tuesday | Another name is Shrove Tuesday |
favor,  | A souvenir given to guests at the ball |
| flambeaux | Naphtha-fueled torches, traditionally carried by white-robed black men; in the past century, flambeaux provided the only source of nighttime parade illumination. |
| invitation | A printed request for attendance at a Carnival ball |
king cake,  | An oval, sugared pastry that contains a plastic doll hidden inside; the person who finds the doll is crowned "king" and buys the next cake or throws the next party; the king cake season opens on King's Day, January 6, the feast of the Epiphany. Nearly 500,000 king cakes are annually consumed in the metro New Orleans area during the Carnival season. |
| krewe | The generic term for all Carnival organizations in New Orleans |
| Mardi Gras | French for Fat Tuesday, the single-day culmination of the Carnival season. |
Mardi Gras Indians,  | Groups of black men in New Orleans who portray American Indians and are magnificently outfitted with handmade beaded and feathered costumes; this Carnival custom dates to the mid-19th century among the more renowned tribes are the Wild Tchopitoulas, the Yellow Pocahontas and the Wild Magnolia. |
throws,  | Inexpensive trinkets tossed from floats |
| Purple | This color represents Justice |
Barkus,  | Krewe Organization devoted to animals and their welfare. |
Baby or Bean,  | Hidden inside King Cakes |
| Lent | Season of fasting before Easter |
Samba,  | Brazilian music featured in special Mardi Gras parades. |
| Float | Decorated vehicle in parades. |
Mask,  | It covers and hides the face. |
| Fat Tuesday | Another name for Mardi Gras |
| Green | This color represents Faith. |
| Gold | This color represents Power. |
