Mardi Gras

[ mahr-dee grah ]

noun

1. the day before Lent, celebrated in some cities, such as New Orleans and Paris, as a day of revelry and merrymaking. Fat Tuesday ( def ), Shrove Tuesday ( def ).
2. a pre-Lenten carnival period climaxing on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras

/ ˈmɑːdɪ ˈɡrɑː /

noun

1. the festival of Shrove Tuesday, celebrated in some cities with great revelry

Mardi Gras

1. An annual festival held in France on the day before Ash Wednesday , the first day of Lent . Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” — meaning it is the last opportunity to eat rich food before the fast of Lent begins. It is related to celebrations elsewhere, called “carnivals,” from the Latin words carne and vale , “meat” and “farewell,” meaning a farewell to meat before the abstinence of Lent.

Notes

New Orleans , Louisiana , is famous for its Mardi Gras celebration, as is Rio de Janeiro , Brazil .

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mardi Gras¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French: literally, “fat Tuesday”; mardi “Tuesday,” Old French marsdi, from Latin diēs Mārtis, Mārtis diēs “day of Mars” ( dismal ( def ), martial ( def ) ); gras “fat,” from Latin grassus “fat, thick”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mardi Gras¹

French: fat Tuesday

Example Sentences

Whenever I shifted in my chair, the ropes of Mardi Gras beads would shimmy.

From Washington Post

Mardi Gras, held on February 25 of last year, was one of New Orleans’ last normal moments before the pandemic.

From Popular-Science

People began to wonder if the flu-like symptoms they’d experienced in the days after Mardi Gras were more than just an annual bug.

From Popular-Science

Those fact that those samples were so closely related, the researchers found, “strongly suggests” that a single person, most likely from Texas, set off a cascade of transmissions that ended up driving the outbreak during and after Mardi Gras.

From Popular-Science

A lot of people getting together for Mardi Gras balls, getting together in close spaces, eating and drinking and chatting.

From Popular-Science

That is the sense of the Saturnalia, of Mardi Gras and of these moments of entertainment.

From The Daily Beast

When the host is in a festive mood, entering customers are given strings of Mardi Gras beads.

From The Daily Beast

Larry Bannock was the chief of a Mardi Gras Indian tribe in New Orleans.

From The Daily Beast

When he died, all the black Mardi Gras Indians came out and kissed the ground in front of his house.

From The Daily Beast

He started a group called the Hawkettes, which in 1954 recorded "Mardi Gras Mambo," a song still popular around New Orleans.

From The Daily Beast

The frolic had in it a Mardi Gras spirit quite foreign to the wonted quiet and dignity of the place.

From Project Gutenberg

What could have been better for the purpose than to have made them parade before us in historic mardi-gras?

From Project Gutenberg

Then another entertainment, a sort of mardi-gras maigre feast, was a champagne tea given for us at the Capitol by Mr. Blaine.

From Project Gutenberg

Public masking on the streets, on the day of Mardi Gras, is also an amusing feature of the carnival.

From Project Gutenberg

For months the advance orders for the coming Mardi Gras festivals have kept the work going day and night.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Mardi Gras

What is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras is the last day before Lent—the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It is sometimes called Fat Tuesday, which is what its name means in French.

The term Mardi Gras also refers to the festival that takes place on this day and in the days (or even weeks) leading up to it. This festival is especially associated with the U.S. city of New Orleans, where it is prominently celebrated. In other places, this festival is called Carnival.

Lent is the season of fasting and penitence that precedes Easter in some branches of Christianity. Mardi Gras is part of a tradition of indulging before the Lenten fast, but it is not a Christian holiday.

When is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras happens 47 days before Easter Sunday. (Lent is often considered a period of 40 days, but it actually consists of 40 weekdays.) Since Easter Sunday moves every year, Mardi Gras can fall between February 3 and March 9.

Mardi Gras 2024 will fall on February 13. In 2025, Mardi Gras will fall on March 4.

In some places, Mardi Gras celebrations start on the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6.

More information and context on Mardi Gras

Because Lent is a time of fasting and abstaining, the period leading up to it has become, for some, a time for indulging before the Lenten fast begins. This is reflected in different names for the day before Lent and the festivals associated with it, including Mardi Gras.

The first records of the term Mardi Gras come from the late 1600s. It is taken directly from French, in which it means “Fat Tuesday.” This is thought to be a reference to the French custom of parading a fat ox through the streets during the celebration of the holiday. However, it has become associated with the tradition of eating rich foods on this day to indulge before the fasting and abstaining of Lent begins for those who practice such things (though, in many cases, Mardi Gras is celebrated by non-Christians or those who do not observe Lent).

The origin of the word carnival is also a reference to the Lenten fast. It comes from the Old Italian carnelevare, meaning “a removing of meat.”

In some Christian traditions, the day before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday, which is sometimes informally referred to as Pancake Day due to the tradition of eating pancakes on that day in order to use up rich foods like eggs and butter before Lent begins.

There are many traditions associated with the celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, including certain foods and parades with lavishly decorated floats and flamboyant costumes.

What are some terms that often get used in discussing Mardi Gras?

• Lent
• Ash Wednesday
• Shrove Tuesday
• Pancake Day
• carnival
• festival
• parade
• float
• New Orleans

How is Mardi Gras discussed in real life?

Mardi Gras is often associated with parties, parades, and other indulgences, especially in New Orleans, but celebrations vary from place to place and from person to person.

A beautiful morning in @NOLACityPark where Mardi Gras will come alive tonight when Floats in the Oaks opens. Wonderful to see so many krewes and their signature floats represented. pic.twitter.com/vVJw3KwGx4

— Dominic Massa (@DMassaWYES) February 4, 2021

Going through the archives for Throw Back Thursday. Mardi Gras 2019 to be exact. #MardiGras #MardiGras2019 #NewOrleans #Louisiana #ThrowbackThursday #FrenchQuarter pic.twitter.com/ZLf0xbGQY2

— Brandon Ore (@orebrandonm) June 19, 2020

Happy Mardi Gras from #Paris! 🎊 Time to eat all the yummy treats the city has to offer, including some delicious vegan doughnuts. 😍 What are your favorite #MardiGras treats?

📸 @jabily3 👉 https://t.co/Gzk1gcBaiG#parisjetaime @boneshakerparis pic.twitter.com/YPb6orZvxw

— Paris je t'aime (@ParisJeTaime) February 25, 2020

Try using Mardi Gras!

True or False?

Mardi Gras falls on the same day every year.