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Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Also known as Carnival or Carnaval, it’s celebrated in Mardi Gras (UK: / ˌ m ɑːr d i ˈ ɡ r ɑː /, US: / ˈ m ɑːr d i ɡ r ɑː /; [1] [2] also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. [3] Mardi Gras is a festive day celebrated in France on Shrove Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday), which marks the close of the pre-Lenten season. The French name Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, from the custom of using all the fats in the home before Lent. What does Mardi Gras mean? Translated to English, "Mardi Gras" means "Fat Tuesday." Mardi is the French word for Tuesday, and gras means "fat." This name comes from the custom of eating all the fatty, rich foods in the house prior to Lent in order to prepare for fasting and abstinence. So, Fat Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras. (n.) "Shrove Tuesday, last day of carnival, day of eating and merrymaking before the fasting season of Lent," 1690s, French, literally "fat Tuesday," from mardi "Tuesday" (12c. in Old French, from Latin Martis diem "day of the planet Mars;" see Tuesday) + gras "fat," from Latin crassus, "thick," which is of unknown origin. On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles directly south of New Orleans, and named it "Pointe du Mardi Gras" when his men realized it was the eve of the festive holiday. Bienville also established "Fort Louis de la Louisiane" (which is now Mobile) in 1702. The History of New Orleans Mardi Gras . Although the date of the first organized celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans is debatable, the 1730 account of one Marc-Antoine Caillot (a young clerk sent to Louisiana by the French Company of the Indies) mentions a celebration with music and dance, mask-wearing and costumes—including cross-dressing. But Mardi Gras history actually extends all the way back to the days before Christianity in Ancient Rome, and has roots in pagan spring festivals. As with most other holidays with a deep heritage, the traditions and customs of Mardi Gras evolved as it moved through countries, continents, and centuries and became the raucous, joy-filled The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in southern Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans.Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday (the start of lent in the Western Christian tradition). The Origins of Mardi Gras. The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced back to ancient Roman festivals, particularly the pagan celebrations of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. These festivals, held in midwinter, were marked by feasting, drinking, and a general sense of chaos and social reversal, during which societal rules were temporarily relaxed. As Every year, as winter fades and spring approaches, the streets of New Orleans explode with color, music, and celebration. Mardi Gras, the grandest festival in Louisiana, is famous for its parades, beads, masked revelers, and deep cultural traditions. The origins of Mardi Gras date back even further to medieval Europe and it celebrates the period before Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter when many people fast. Some historians theorize that The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to medieval Europe, passing through Rome and Venice in the 17th and 18th centuries to the French House of the Bourbons. From here, the traditional revelry of "Boeuf Gras," or fatted calf, followed France to her colonies. On March 2, 1699, French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Flambeaux: It’s a Mardi Gras tradition that has become revered as an art form today, having blossomed well beyond the practical purpose it first served. Over the past century and a half, city infrastructure has evolved, and Mardi Gras parades incorporate more high-tech LED lighting. Brian Costello, author of Carnival in Louisiana: Celebrating Mardi Gras from the French Quarter to the Red River, writes, "The Carnival season and Mardi Gras day trace their roots from the Bacchanalia and Saturnalia ritual promiscuity of Roman times. With the spread of Christianity, similar revelry occurred during the period of carnival (Latin The origins of Mardi Gras lie in New Orleans, Louisiana. This cultural celebration of food and family has now spread throughout the United States, with many major cities hosting Mardi Gras celebrations of their own anytime from January through April or even May. For a large part of Louisiana, this isn’t the true Mardi Gras. We’re talking about local Cajun Mardi Gras—complete with a chicken chase! Cajun Mardi Gras, or Courir de Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday Run), has been a staple in southern Louisiana for hundreds of years. The tradition dates back to 17th-century Europe; Europeans who settled in the Taylor was instrumental in integrating Mardi Gras krewes. In 1992, she authored a city ordinance to eliminate discrimination, ordering krewes to implement an open admission policy. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," and many scholars believe that Mardi Gras has its roots in the ancient pagan ritual of Saturnalia, which celebrated t The Origins of Mardi Gras in France Mardi Gras (literally “Fat Tuesday”) is originally a catholic event that marks the end of the “week of the seven fat days”. They were known as “jours charnels” (meaning carnival) in the old days.
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