Fat Tuesday is here, but where does the holiday come from?
OMAHA, Neb. (KPTM) — February 21, 2023 is Fat Tuesday, A.K.A Mardi Gras, A.K.A Shrove Tuesday, according to nationaldaycalendar.com.
The celebration marks the last day of Carnival, and it takes place the day before Ash Wednesday.
It allows people to feast and celebrate in preparations for the Lent which is seen as a time to reflect and fast.
Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, and it first dates back to the Roman festival which honors the deities Lupercalia and Saturnalia which took place in mid-February.
When the Christians came to Rome, the festival started to incorporate preparations for Lent.
The United Kingdom refers to the day as Shrove Tuesday which is also known as Pancake Day.
Pancakes are seen as the perfect thing to feast on before the Lenten season of fasting.
The Mardi Gras/Carnival celebration in France includes colorful masks and costumes, beignets, and parades.
During the 16th Century, the French celebrated Boeuf Gras which means fatted calf. During this celebration a bull would be paraded around the city decorated in flowers. Behind the bull, a parade of people dressed colorfully and playing unusual instruments.
New Orleans, Louisiana holds the largest Mardi Gras celebration in the United States.
Their celebration includes King Cake and muffuletta sandwiches along with beverages like Sazerac made with absinthe or Vieux Carre made with punch, whiskey, cognac, and sweet vermouth.
Ways to celebrate Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday:
- Join in festivals around the town
- Host your own feast
- Dress up in colorful costumes
- Use #FatTuesday or #MardiGras on social media to share how you celebrated
Pierre Le Moyne Sieur d'Iberville and Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville are credited with bringing Mardi Gras to the United States, said the website.
The first Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S. was in Mobile, Alabama in 1703.
Bienville established Nouvelle Orleans (New Orleans) in 1788, and immediately the Mardi Gras celebrations began there.
In 1875, the state of Louisiana declared Fat Tuesday as an official holiday.