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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] Regardless of background, Mardi Gras allows people to set aside their differences and join in the fun. The sense of togetherness is one of the key reasons why Mardi Gras has become such an enduring and beloved tradition. A Time for Joy and Indulgence. At its heart, Mardi Gras is a celebration of joy and indulgence. 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. Why is Mardi Gras celebrated? Mardi Gras is celebrated in many countries around the world, though mainly in places with large Roman Catholic populations. It's believed that Mardi Gras emerged from the wild ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. These pagan celebrations involved days of feasting, masquerading, dancing, and drinking. Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States are often associated with the parades and parties of New Orleans, Louisiana, but the holiday has been celebrated around the world for hundreds of years 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 all-male krewe has been staging Mardi Gras events in New Orleans since 1872 and are the ones who started the tradition of using the holiday’s famous colors: yellow, purple, and green. Historically, Mardi Gras is the day for eating up the last of the rich foods that remain in the house and for having a big celebration before a long period of discipline and repentance. Today, less people observe Lent, but more than ever celebrate Mardi Gras, attracted by its joyful party atmosphere, music, food, and parades. In fact, his landing is believed to have coincided with the French celebration of Mardi Gras, explaining his choice of name for his point of entry: Point du Mardi Gras. Other historians, however, dispute the d’Iberville connection, contending that it was the early French settlers to Louisiana who introduced Mardi Gras to America. Mardi Gras was celebrated soon after the city of New Orleans was founded in 1718, but was briefly banned when the Spanish took control of New Orleans until Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812 Mardi Gras is the climax of Carnival season and is celebrated the day before the Christian season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. In French, Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday,” another name for Two additional dates of historic importance in New Orleans Mardi Gras lore are 1875, the year the State of Louisiana declared Mardi Gras a legal state holiday, and 1889, the year of the first documented reference of women exposing their breasts at the event, reported by a Times-Democrat reporter who observed, “the degree of immodesty And in a way, maybe that’s for the best. Because while Mardi Gras is usually seen as an American excuse to indulge decadence (as if Americans need an excuse) the holiday’s history might get a rare chance to shine for once. And that history is far more religious than we usually recognize. Mardi Gras is French for ‘Fat Tuesday.’ Mardi Gras became an “official” Christian holiday in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII instituted the namesake Gregorian calendar still in use today. By recognizing Mardi Gras as an overture to Lent, the idea was for all the partying and foolery to be over with when it came time to observe the requisite austerities. We cover everything from the best Mardi Gras souvenirs, to the reason we eat certain foods during the holiday. You might be surprised to know that Santa Claus showed up to the 1870 Mardi Gras parade. Mardi Gras is strongly associated with wild bacchanalia and debauchery, but the original intent of the holiday and how it's kept by the faithful is much different. Fat Tuesday, as it is known in English, is a long-standing tradition of the Catholic Church and it marks the last day of ordinary time before the start of Lent, a time of fasting and Residents of New Orleans have been celebrating Mardi Gras since the 18th century" ("Mardi Gras," Encarta). Mardi Gras "is a lively, colorful [not to mention bawdy and debased] celebration held on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent begins," says the World Book Encyclopedia. The first Mardi Gras celebration in America was celebrated in 1703 in the settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile. Mardi Gras was celebrated soon after the city of New Orleans was founded in 1718 Since it was the night before Mardi Gras, he named the landing area "Point du Mardi Gras". In 1703 the first Mardi Gras was celebrated at the small settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile. In the 1730s Mardi Gras became a popular celebration in New Orleans. Originally it was celebrated with a large dance called a ball.
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