Mardi Gras – February 13, 2024

History of Mardi Gras

‘Mardi Gras’ is French for Fat Tuesday. It’s also called Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Tuesday in different parts of the world. Mardi Gras is synonymous with carnival celebrations in New Orleans, Venice, and Rio, although the day is also celebrated in a similar fashion in countries with large Roman Catholic populations.

Festivities similar to Mardi Gras date back to ancient Roman times where people celebrated the harvest season. When Christianity arrived in Rome, these popular local traditions were incorporated into the new faith. The debauchery typical of Mardi Gras precedes Lent, the 40-day period of fasting and penance leading to Easter Sunday.

As Christianity and Mardi Gras spread from Rome to other European countries, new traditions were born and some old ones took on new forms. What began as a holiday rooted in religious tradition became a cultural phenomenon, leading to binging and parties that weren’t always followed by the 40-days of penance.

Mardi Gras celebrations began in America when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana. A few years later, New Orleans and other French settlements observed the holiday with street parties, masked balls, and lavish dinners organized by social clubs called ‘Krewes.’

Today, Mardi Gras is celebrated all over the world integrating local styles and native traditions. From Rio’s weeklong Carnival festivities to Quebec’s Winter Carnival and Germany’s Karneval that includes parades, costume balls, and a tradition where women cut off men’s ties to symbolize women’s power.

Besides the procession of floats, colorful beads also feature in celebrations in the U.S. and a king cake with a trinket or baby figurine, to represent the Christ Child, baked inside it.