Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), or Fat Tuesday, refers to the events of the celebration of carnival, from or after the Christian festivals of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday (known as Shrove Tuesday). Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday “, reflecting the practice of the last night of eating rich and greasy foods before the fasting ritual of the season lent.
Related popular practices are associated with Shrovetide celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with Quasarsma’s penitential era. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Mardi Gras is also known as Shrove Tuesday, which is derived from the word shrive, which means “Administer the sacrament of confession; To Abdo it.
Mardi Gras, as a celebration of life before the darkest occasion on Ash Wednesday, almost always involves the use of masks and costumes by its participants. In New Orleans, for example, these often take the form of fairies, animals, people of myths, or several medieval costumes, as well as clowns and Indians (Native Americans). However, large numbers costumes today are simply crafted creations of feathers and layers of colors. Unlike Halloween costumes, Mardi Gras costumes are not usually associated with things like zombies, mummies, bats, and blood alike, although death can be a topic in some. The tradition of Venice brought gold masks in the usual round of costumes.
