On Mardi Gras, I hear Larry Craig and Joe Biden frequent John McCain's industrial German nightclub, The (Das) Bunker.

Now this is my idea of how to celebrate a holiday.

Do this for GroundHog day, and I'm all over it.

It is actually celebrated everywhere on the period just before Lent starts on Ash Wednesday. If fundamentalist Protestants or Pentecostals join in, their heads explode!

Rating limited to New Orleans.

I'd like to go to Rio to see this. I think that would be fabulous. Shrove Tuesday or 'Pancake Day' followed by Ash Wednesday, means that very little happens here other than tossing a pancake, though there are organised pancake races, egg rolling, treasure hunts, and other events. I suppose different families celebrate it in their own style.

One of the best events of the year, especially in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama. Many think Mardi Gras' origins are in New Orleans since it's more popular there, but they are actually wrong. The first Mardi Gras celebration began here around the time of Mobile's founding. The difference with Mobile's Mardi Gras is that it's more appealing for the entire family and has better security for the large crowds. I recommend coming to Mobile for the Mardi Gras celebrations at least once. You won't be disappointed.

What good is a holiday when you have to go to a certain part of the country to celebrate it?

These things look frigtening. X-Rated parades, flashers when you just want beads, hundreds and hundreds of drunk or high people, promiscicous people and just plain anarchy rules in many cities on this insane holiday. Stay at home and watch a good movie (like Toy Story 2), a good TV show (like Frasier or Star Trek: TNG) or play your Nintendo GameCube!

I'm pretty sure I had mentioned somewhere before that I live in New Orleans, meaning I can easily enjoy the madness of Mardi Gras every year! And, what can I say, partying all day is a blast! Just so long as you don't mind crowds too much, for yes, it certainly DOES get crowded! Mardi Gras is all about partying and drinking and just plain having fun before Ash Wednesday comes (known as the first day of the "you can't eat anything good" period known as Lent).

When I was in college I went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and about four years ago I went to Carnaval in Salvador, Brazil (supposedly the biggest party in the world). Both experiences were unique and amazing. But, while I would go back to Carnaval in a second, I think I've had enough of Mardi Gras. I guess as we get older the appeal of festivals of excess eventually starts to wane a little. But just a little...