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Mardi Gras, New Orleans, USA
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Mardi Gras, New Orleans, USA
Mardi Gras refers to carnival celebrations that begin on or after the Christian feast of Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminate on the day before Ash Wednesday, known as Holy Tuesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," reflecting the practice of eating rich and fatty foods on the last night before the ritual of sacrifice and fasting during the Lenten season.
The common customs associated with the festivities of the night before fasting and the religious obligations associated with the penitential season of fasting. In countries such as Britain, Mardi Gras is commonly known as Pancake Day or (traditionally) Shrove Tuesday (from the word shrive, meaning "to perform the sacrament of confession; to absolve").
traditions
The season of the festival varies from city to city, as some traditions, such as that of New Orleans, Louisiana, consider Mardi Gras to be the entire period from Twelfth Night (the last night of Christmas that marks the beginning of Jesus Christ) to Ash Wednesday. Others refer to the last three-day period before Ash Wednesday as Mardi Gras. In Mobile, Alabama, social events related to Mardi Gras begin in November, followed by the Mystic Society's festivities on Thanksgiving, then New Year's Eve, followed by parades and balls in January and February, and until midnight the night before. It will be held from Ash Wednesday. In the past, parades were held on New Year's Day. Carnival is an important celebration in Anglican and Catholic European countries.