Mardi Gras

American  

[mahr-dee grah] / ˈmɑr di ˌgrɑ /

noun

1. the day before Lent, celebrated in some cities, such as New Orleans and Paris, as a day of revelry and merrymaking.

2. a pre-Lenten carnival period climaxing on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

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Mardi Gras British  

/ ˈmɑːdɪ ˈɡrɑː /

noun

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

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Mardi Gras Cultural  

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.

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Usage

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.

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

Etymology

Origin of Mardi Gras

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

Compare meaning

How does mardi-gras compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• carnival vs. Mardi Gras

Example Sentences

In New Orleans, for instance, there will be a brunch in honor of one or another New Orleans debutante every Sunday from now through Mardi gras.

From Time Magazine Archive

But the action drifted away from the script; toward the end there were touches of Mardi gras and, finally, Italian Communism's worst humiliation.

From Time Magazine Archive

The New Orleans Mardi gras parade seemed lifeless compared to the efforts of a few deaf children in Baltimore to comprehend the rhythms of music through their fingertips.

From Time Magazine Archive

They spent two weeks hunting & fishing in Mexico, then, on their way to New Orleans' Mardi gras, they showed up in Houston.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ten days later she stood before her mirror, dressing for a Mardi gras party at the Fishers'.

From In Blue Creek Cañon by Ray, Anna Chapin