Mardi Gras

[ mahr-dee grah ]

noun

1. the day before Lent, celebrated in some cities, such as New Orleans and Paris, as a day of revelry and merrymaking. Fat Tuesday ( def ), Shrove Tuesday ( def ).
2. a pre-Lenten carnival period climaxing on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras

/ ˈmɑːdɪ ˈɡrɑː /

noun

1. the festival of Shrove Tuesday, celebrated in some cities with great revelry

Mardi Gras

1. An annual festival held in France on the day before Ash Wednesday , the first day of Lent . Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday” — meaning it is the last opportunity to eat rich food before the fast of Lent begins. It is related to celebrations elsewhere, called “carnivals,” from the Latin words carne and vale , “meat” and “farewell,” meaning a farewell to meat before the abstinence of Lent.

Notes

New Orleans , Louisiana , is famous for its Mardi Gras celebration, as is Rio de Janeiro , Brazil .

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mardi Gras¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French: literally, “fat Tuesday”; mardi “Tuesday,” Old French marsdi, from Latin diēs Mārtis, Mārtis diēs “day of Mars” ( dismal ( def ), martial ( def ) ); gras “fat,” from Latin grassus “fat, thick”

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mardi Gras¹

French: fat Tuesday