Mardi Gras is a Christian holiday and popular cultural phenomenon that dates back thousands of years to pagan spring and fertility rites. Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday”, reflecting the practice of the last night of consuming rich, fatty foods in preparation for the fasting season of Lent.
Advertisement
Mardi Gras is celebrated in many countries around the world, especially those with large Roman Catholic populations, on the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.
Mardi Gras is called Fat Tuesday because it is the final day of indulging in meat, eggs, milk, cheese and other rich foods before the 40 days of fasting and penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The word carnival, another common name for the pre-Lenten festivities, also derives from this feasting tradition: in Medieval Latin, carnelevarium means to take away or remove meat, from the Latin carnem for meat.
Advertisement
Mardi Gras has a long and varied history that spans different cultures and continents. It originated from the ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia, which celebrated the arrival of spring and fertility. When Christianity spread to Rome, these pagan rituals were incorporated into the new faith as a way of easing the transition. Mardi Gras later spread to other European countries, such as France, Germany, Spain and England, where it took different forms and names.
The first American Mardi Gras took place in 1699, when French explorers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Sieur de Bienville landed near present-day New Orleans, Louisiana. They held a small celebration and named their landing spot Point du Mardi Gras.
New Orleans and other French settlements in Louisiana continued to celebrate Mardi Gras with street parties, masked balls and lavish dinners until the Spanish took control and banned these activities. The tradition was revived when Louisiana became a U.S. state in 1812, and has since grown into one of the most famous and colorful public festivals in the world.
Leave a Reply