With its tradition of jazz, seafood and European architecture, New Orleans is well known as one of America’s unique cities. And as Mardi Gras approaches, one historic company is trying to spread those traditions across the nation.Zatarain’s, a Gretna-based, New Orleans-style food company, has designed a petition aimed at nationalizing New Orleans’ Mardi Gras festivities. The petition, which accepts signatures online via the Zatarain’s Web site, will be presented to Congress once 100,000 signatures are collected.”The whole point of this campaign is to bring national attention to Mardi Gras,” said Dudley Passman, Zatarain’s director of food services. “Just like the music and the food, by bringing that national attention we can spotlight the holiday and the city.”The petition first became available about two weeks ago when an independent study contracted by Zatarain’s suggested seven out of 10 Americans would support the movement.Since the petition began, more than 9,000 signatures have been collected from citizens across the country. “Many New Orleanians don’t realize that so many people outside the city celebrate Mardi Gras,” said Ken Beals, Zatarain’s marketing director. “I think it is a lot more popular than people realize.”Though Fat Tuesday traditions are always mentioned in the same breath as New Orleans, the festival is celebrated throughout the country from the Gulf Coast to Philadelphia. While some cities like Mobile, Ala., celebrate with mystic societies in the vein of New Orleans krewes, others celebrate Mardi Gras with their own regional flair. “Almost half of the country is celebrating Mardi Gras from coast to coast,” Beals said.Despite efforts to make the holiday official outside Louisiana, Zatarain’s spokespeople said they have no desire to uproot the festival from its historic Big Easy home. If anything, they said nationalizing Mardi Gras will bring much-needed attention to the city.”I think it brings a lot of visibility and awareness not only to New Orleans, but to the whole Louisiana area,” Beals said. “Obviously it benefits both New Orleans and Zatarain’s.”Though Zatarain’s is spearheading the motion, Passman said the company is not trying to brand the festival, which has never had a corporate sponsor in its history.”The goal is not to take over Mardi Gras,” Beals said. “I can only imagine the backlash if we tried something like that.”Regardless of the culture and history surrounding the holiday, Mardi Gras in New Orleans has earned a reputation for debauchery and drunkenness. Though these traditions are just as important as the call-response chants of the Mardi Gras Indians, Zatarain’s is looking to associate itself with Fat Tuesday’s more family-friendly aspects.”People from New Orleans know it’s more about going to see a parade on St. Charles or having a king cake with family and friends,”Passman said the adult-oriented way Mardi Gras is often thought of outside New Orleans has little to do with the way most people celebrate in the city.With Mardi Gras still a full week away, it’s unlikely the petition will make its way to Washington, D.C., before the Krewe of Zulu rolls down St. Charles Ave. The petition will remain available for signing through Lent and beyond.”It’s really too early to tell if this will work,” Beals said. “If enough people found out about it, we might have a chance. I think in the coming weeks, we might get a better idea for how realistic this really is.”—-Contact Adam Duvernay at [email protected]