For OffBeat’s Mardi Gras issue, February 2004, OffBeat editor, the late, great Bunny Matthews, wrote the following ode to carnival joy. With the carnival season upon us, it’s important to understand why Mardi Gras matters.

An Ode to Carnival Joy

Mardi Gras is the most important day in the New Orleans calendar—24 hours that epitomize the city’s...