By SARA CLINE

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — As residents across much of the country take down their holiday decorations, sobered by New Year’s resolutions and a return to business as usual, in Louisiana people are ramping up for the biggest celebration of the year.

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Throughout the state residents are preparing for Carnival season, a pre-Lenten and weeks-long bash that includes feasting on savory dishes, opulent balls and a stream of massive parades rolling through city streets.

The bucket-list worthy period of festivities promises indulgence, costumed revelry and literal pounds of glimmery plastic beads to carry around one’s neck. Here’s what to know about Carnival.

What is Carnival?

Carnival in Louisiana and around the world is rooted in Christian and Roman Catholic traditions. It’s marked by feasting, drinking and revelry before Ash Wednesday and the fasting associated with Lent, the Christian season of preparation for Easter.

Each year, along with Louisiana residents, more than a million visitors travel to New Orleans to partake in the city’s world-famous celebration.

However, the festivities are not limited to the Big Easy. Similar celebrations stretch across Louisiana and into other Gulf Coast states, including Alabama, where Mobile lays claim to the nation’s oldest Mardi Gras celebration. Additionally, there are world-renowned celebrations in Brazil and Europe.

FILE – The streets are filled during the Society of Saint Anne’s parade on Mardi Gras Day, March 4, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Is Carnival the same as Mardi Gras?

Although some people use the terms “Carnival” and “Mardi Gras” interchangeably, they are actually different things.

Carnival is the entire pre-Lenten period. Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, is one day.

Mardi Gras marks the grand conclusion to Carnival Season. It falls on the day before Ash Wednesday, making it the final moments of indulgence before the solemnity of Lent.

How long is Carnival season?

Carnival always begins Jan. 6, which in the Catholic world is called Epiphany or Twelfth Night since it’s twelve days after Christmas. And the season always ends with Mardi Gras.

But, because it’s linked to Easter — which does not have a fixed date — Mardi Gras can fall anywhere between Feb. 3 and March 9. This year Fat Tuesday is on Feb. 17, making Carnival 43 days long.

What is King Cake?

The beginning of Carnival also marks the start of when it is socially acceptable — and encouraged — to eat king cake. Lines will snake around the block at popular bakeries known for the seasonal staple.

The brioche-style pastry, which some bakers say traces back to an ancient Roman holiday, has become one of the iconic and most-delicious symbols of Carnival.

The traditional ring-shaped and sweet-dough cake is streaked with cinnamon and adorned with decadent icing colored purple, green and gold. The cake is often filled with fruits, pecans or different flavors of cream cheese frosting.

Also in the treat is a tiny plastic baby. Whoever has the slice with the little figurine hidden inside is supposed to buy the next cake or throw the next party, lending an unending excuse for another festive gathering.

The traditional cake has evolved over the years with restaurants launching their own unique versions, including one that is filled with boudin — a Cajun-style sausage — and another that is made out of sushi rolls.

What about the parades?

Carnival is best known for elaborate and massive parades. This season there will be more than 80 parades in and surrounding New Orleans — many of which last hours.

Energetic marching bands, costumed dancers and multi-level floats laden with fantastical hand-built figures, will wind through communities.

The parades embody their own identity. They include an all-female parade, one that pokes fun at politics, a Sci-Fi themed parade with revelers dressed as Chewbacca. The largest parade hosts 3,200 riders and more than 80 floats, and one of the smallest, in the literal sense, features floats made out of shoe boxes.

Float riders and walking members of Carnival clubs — known as krewes — pour much time and money into preparations for the extravaganza. But all that work pays off as celebrants, many donning homemade costumes, line streets and sidewalks to watch.

Most spectators will have their hands raised in hopes of catching “throws” — trinkets tossed to the crowd by float riders. While throws include plastic beads, candy, doubloons, stuffed animals, cups and toys, there are also the more coveted items such as painted coconuts, highly sought-after hand-decorated shoes and even bedazzled toilet plungers.

The krewe for the largest parade in New Orleans, Endymion, estimates that they toss more than 15 million throws along the parade route. The krewe’s motto is, “Throw ’til it Hurts.”

Are there other ways Carnival is celebrated?

Although Carnival is often known for fancy balls and boisterous parades, other areas and groups have their own traditions.

In central Louisiana people will take part in the Cajun French tradition of the Courir de Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday Run. These rural processions feature masked and costumed participants who will perform and beg for ingredients, and even chase after live chickens, to use for a communal gumbo at the end of the day.

In New Orleans, some African Americans mask in elaborate beaded and feathered Mardi Gras Indian suits, roving the city to sing, dance, drum and perform. The tradition, a central part of the Black Carnival experience in New Orleans since at least the late 1800s, is believed to have started in part as a way to pay homage to area Native Americans for their assistance to Black people and runaway slaves. It also developed at a time when segregation barred Black residents from taking part in whites-only parades.

By DAMIAN J. TROISE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose on Wall Street Tuesday morning and approached more all-time highs.

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The S&P 500 added 0.4% and is sitting just below the record it set in late December. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 158 points, or 0.3%, after setting a record on Monday. The Nasdaq composite rose 0.4% as of 10:10 a.m. Eastern.

Big technology companies were behind much of the market’s gains. Nvidia jumped 1.5% and was the biggest single force behind the market’s gains. It is among the most valuable companies in the world and its outsized valuation gives it more influence in the market.

Nvidia’s gain, along with a 7.4% gain for Micron, helped counter Apple’s 0.8% loss.

Technology companies, especially those focused on artificial intelligence, are being closely watched this week during the industry’s annual CES trade show in Las Vegas.

AI advances helped propel the broader market to a series of records in 2025. Investors will be watching companies for any updates that could shed more light on the big corporate investments in AI technology.

The price of benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 0.3%, pulling back from sharp gains a day prior when the market reacted to U.S. forces capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a weekend raid.

Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 4.18% from 4.15% late Monday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which moves more closely with expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, rose to 3.47% from 3.45% late Monday.

Gold prices rose 1% and silver prices rose 4.6%. Such assets are often considered safe havens in times of geopolitical turmoil. The metals have notched record prices over the last year amid lingering economic concerns brought on by conflicts and trade wars.

Outside of company announcements, Wall Street is preparing for several updates on the U.S. labor market this week.

AP business writers Elaine Kurtenbach and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

By YEVHEN KLOPOTENKO, Voracious

Adding fermented vegetables to the first course of a meal is common in Ukrainian cuisine, and one of the most popular pickled-vegetable dishes is sauerkraut soup.

It might sound a little odd, but trust me — it’s breathtaking. This recipe is from my cookbook “The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen,” and is so easy to make that you can prepare it every week throughout the cold season.

This image released by Voracious shows the cookbook “The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen” by Yevhen Klopotenko. (Voracious via AP)

Combining the sauerkraut with the pork is the key. The sourness balances out the fat, enhancing the taste of the dish. Many Ukrainian cooks make a version of kapusnyak with fresh cabbage. To try that, just replace half the sauerkraut with shredded fresh cabbage.

Kapusnyak/Sauerkraut Soup

Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 pound (450 grams) boneless pork shoulder
1 bay leaf
2 allspice berries
1 large carrot
1 large onion
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) sunflower oil
2½ cups (300 grams) sauerkraut
4 to 5 medium starchy potatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

This image released by Voracious shows a sauerkraut soup recipe from the cookbook “The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen” by Yevhen Klopotenko. (Voracious via AP)

Directions

1. Cut the pork shoulder into bite-size pieces and put them in a medium stockpot. Add enough cold water to completely cover the meat and bring to a rapid boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and cook at a simmer for about 1 hour, occasionally skimming off and discarding the foam. After an hour, add the bay leaf and the allspice and continue cooking over low heat.

2. While the broth is simmering, shred the carrot using a box grater. Peel and dice the onion. Add a little oil to a sauté pan placed over medium heat and sauté the shredded carrot and the diced onion until fragrant. Add the sauerkraut. Ladle some of the broth into the pan so the vegetables don’t dry out. Once the vegetables are tender, take the pan off the heat.

3. Peel and dice the potatoes and add them to the broth. Simmer for about 20 minutes and then add the sautéed vegetables to the pot. Bring everything to a rapid boil, reduce the heat, simmer the soup for about 5 minutes, and remove from the heat. Season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper and let rest a little before serving.

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Yevhen Klopotenko is a Ukrainian chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and social activist. He is known for his cooking website klopotenko.com, promoting authentic Ukrainian cuisine around the world.

Excerpted from “The Authentic Ukrainian Kitchen” by Yevhen Klopotenko. Copyright (copyright) 2024 by Yevhen Klopotenko. Photograph by Dima Bahta. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

By TRACEE M. HERBAUGH

It turns out, love may benefit from a little less labor.

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Couples who spend money on time-saving services — like getting takeout, hiring a housecleaner or calling a dog walker — report greater relationship satisfaction, especially during stressful periods, says Ashley Whillans, a behavioral scientist and professor at Harvard Business School.

Whillans studies the “tradeoffs people make between time and money.”

“When you spend money to save time — hiring an accountant, a babysitter, a cleaner — you feel more control over your life,” she said. “That sense of autonomy boosts well-being.”

Not everyone can afford to outsource bigger household chores. But Whillans says even a little bit can help. She advises couples to take a “time audit” — examining how they spend their hours and what small changes could reclaim even a few moments.

“People underestimate how much these choices matter,” she said. “It’s not about luxury — it’s about freeing up time to connect.”

Whillans’ team tracked busy, dual-income couples — partners working full-time who often report feeling time-starved — and found consistent patterns. In one six-week diary study, couples who made “time-saving purchases” on a given day were happier and more satisfied with their relationships.

Use that saved time for connecting

Simply outsourcing chores isn’t a magic fix, however.

“It’s about being intentional with the time you get back — using it to spend quality time together, to reconnect,” Whillans said.

“Think of that half hour not as an opportunity to send more emails, but as a chance to spend time with your partner.”

Targol Hasankhani, a Chicago-based marriage and family therapist, stressed that while outsourcing domestic labor can ease daily stress, it doesn’t replace communication. Juggling careers and kids takes a toll on families, and housework is often freighted with resentments over who is doing it.

“If conflict around chores is rooted in something deeper — like inequity or not feeling heard — hiring a cleaner won’t solve that,” she said.

Couples must dig deeper to address problems with many layers.

“It opens up time and space, but couples still have to know how to show up for each other in that space,” Hasankhani said.

Casey Mulligan Walsh, 71, a former speech pathologist and author in upstate New York, said the best part about hiring a housecleaner once a week was that it freed up time for her and her husband to spend together.

“My favorite day of the week was coming home to a clean house,” she said. “We’d go get coffee together instead of arguing about who should vacuum.”

A Valentine’s Day gift that stuck

Getting started on delegating household tasks isn’t easy for some couples, Whillans said. Besides the cost, “it takes time to find someone and coordinate — but the long-term payoff is real.”

And making such decisions together can deepen trust and a sense of teamwork.

For one Colorado couple, outsourcing started as an act of love.

FILE – Dog walker Kathleen Chirico strolls with a pack of dogs during a warm day along the Hudson River, May 2, 2018, in Hoboken, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

“When I started dating, my now-husband noticed how hard I was working — at my job, at home and as a single mom,” said Melissa Jones, a 45-year-old teacher in Pueblo.

His Valentine’s Day gift? A deep housecleaning.

“It was truly amazing,” Jones said. “After that, I kept it up on my own for years. When my husband and I moved in together, we decided to continue.”

“We’re able to make memories with each other, our kids and our families instead of spending weekends scrubbing floors,” she said.

Dinnertime can be a stress point

In Miami, Elizabeth Willard, 59, runs The Pickled Beet, a culinary service preparing customized meals.

“Most of the people I cook for are trying to invest in their health but don’t have the time,” she said, noting that families often juggle mixed dietary needs. “Sometimes the husband’s a carnivore and the wife’s vegetarian, one child’s celiac. They’re exhausted trying to make everyone happy.”

Her clients, often families with children and two working parents, are “not fighting over what’s for dinner. It’s one less daily decision.”

Whether ordering a pizza, paying a teenager to mow the lawn, or calling a car service to save 20 minutes, the outcome can be the same: Buying back time can buy peace.