<P> The parades in Mobile are organized mainly by mystic societies or orders . Society float riders toss throws to the crowds . The most common throws are strings of colorful plastic beads, doubloons (aluminium or wooden dollar - sized coins usually impressed with a krewe logo), wrapped candy / snacks / MoonPies, decorated plastic throw cups, stuffed animals, and other small inexpensive toys . Major krewes follow the same parade schedule and route each year . </P> <P> To Mobilians, Mardi Gras refers to the entire festival season, also known as Carnival . Local schools have multiple "Mardi Gras Holidays", which often include Ash Wednesday . Mobile's culture is diverse, and as a result the Mardi Gras season has been extended . The area's traditions draw from all of its history, including French, Spanish, British, African, Creole, American, and even Swedish influences . The 2008 documentary The Order of Myths details the origins of Mobile Mardi Gras and highlights the differences in the mystic societies due to race and history . </P> <P> A type of Mardi Gras festival was brought to Mobile by the founding French Catholic settlers of French Louisiana, as the celebration of Mardi Gras was part of preparation for Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent . The first record of the holiday being marked in America is on March 3, 1699, at a camp site along the Mississippi River delta . Following the construction of Fort Louis de La Louisiane in 1702, the soldiers and settlers celebrated Mardi Gras beginning in 1703 . Thus started an annual tradition, only occasionally canceled because of war . </P> <P> Mardi Gras has evolved over three centuries in the Mobile area, combining tradition and culture with new ideas . French Mardi Gras arrived in North America with the founding French settlers, the Le Moyne brothers, Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean - Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville . In the late 17th century, King Louis XIV sent the pair to defend France's claim on the territory of La Louisiane, which included what are now the U.S. states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana . </P>

Where did the first mardi gras take place