Mardi Gras isn't necessarily celebrated wherever there's Christianity. There were some Orthodox offshoots that rarely celebrate anything not relating to Christmas or Easter. As such, Maelewano doesn't usually do much for Mardi Gras as the population was primarily of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. There were even several Muslims who lived there and while not as stringent as the ones up north, had a completely different time of fasting. Then again, there were plenty of people who'd look for any excuse to party. And with current tensions, they needed something to take the edge off.
Now, the Mardi Gras celebration there wasn't as wild as the one in New Orleans, but they did have a bit of a parade like in Rio. Though obviously, the streets and terrains were all wrong for big parade floats. Instead, many citizens dressed up in tribal costumes, most of which decorated with the traditional colors of green, purple, and gold. Considering the wide variety of costumes, and how much was sometimes left bare, it was almost as good as the parade in Rio or New Orleans. But no one was doing as crude as throwing beads.
At least there was plenty to eat now that the plague of locusts was over. Unsurprisingly, quite a few people were quite sick of the taste of locusts. And for those who had developed a taste for them, there were many freeze-dried for preservation. It should last a very long time, with hopefully any future swarms being of a far more manageable size.