Fat Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras, is the last day of celebration and feasting before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. It typically falls in February or early March, 47 days before Easter Sunday. Fat Tuesday is the culmination of Carnival season, which begins on Three Kings Day. Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana are perhaps the largest and most famous in the United States. However, various Fat Tuesday traditions and celebrations occur across the globe. The holiday is rooted in Christian feasts and traditions, but is also linked to pagan festivals celebrating the arrival of Spring. On Fat Tuesday, people indulge in food, drinks, parades, parties, masquerade balls, and other revelry before abstaining during the Lenten season.
History and Origins
The term “Fat Tuesday” comes from the French “Mardi Gras,” or “Fat Tuesday” in English. This refers to the last day of eating richer foods and indulging before the ritual fasting of Lent. Mardi Gras has its origins in medieval Europe. As early as the Middle Ages, Christians would celebrate with a “Carnival” festival on the day before Ash Wednesday. The word Carnival means “farewell to meat,” again referring to abstinence from meat, fats, eggs, and milk starting on Ash Wednesday and lasting for 40 days of Lent. In Italy, Fat Tuesday is known as Martedi Grasso, or “Fat Tuesday.” In Spain and Puerto Rico, the celebration is called Martes de Carnaval. Other countries hold Carnival festivals in the days and weeks before Lent rather than just on Fat Tuesday itself.
Traditions in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana holds some of the largest and most famous Mardi Gras celebrations in America. Traditions include elaborate costumes, masks, parades, floats, and street parties. The official Mardi Gras colors are purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. Rex, the King of Carnival, leads festive parades and tosses bead necklaces and doubloons to revelers. Members of krewes organize the parades and host masquerade balls. Mardi Gras Indians wear colorful beaded and feathered costumes. Cajun food favorites like jambalaya, gumbo, and crawfish boil are abundant. The holiday culminates with the French Quarter reaching an all-time high energy.
Parades and Balls
Parades with elaborate floats are a central part of Mardi Gras celebrations across the world. In New Orleans, popular parades roll down major streets like Canal Street, St. Charles Avenue, and Bourbon Street. Dozens of krewesput on parades featuring dazzling floats and costumes and live music. Riders on the floats wear masks and costumes and throw beads, toys, and other trinkets to crowds along the parade routes. Major krewes include Rex, Zulu, Endymion, Bacchus, Orpheus, and Muses. The floats reference myths, legends, and pop culture. Masquerade balls allow krewe members to wear their costumes and dance. The extravagant balls continue into the wee hours of Fat Tuesday morning.
| Krewe | Founded |
|---|---|
| Rex | 1872 |
| Comus | 1857 |
| Zulu | 1909 |
| Endymion | 1966 |
| Bacchus | 1968 |
| Orpheus | 1993 |
| Muses | 2000 |
Costumes and Masks
Donning costumes, masks, and makeup for Mardi Gras allows celebrants to shed their normal identities and embrace the festival’s spirit of excess and indulgence. Popular costume motifs include jesters, pirates, medieval knights, animals, clowns, superheroes, and pop culture figures. Masks range from simple dominos to feathered Venetian style masks. Costumes get more elaborate and competitions for best costumes occur at the parades and balls. The costumes let people escape day-to-day life through fantasy and release. The masks provide anonymity while partying on Fat Tuesday. Dramatic makeup adds to the effect. Common looks include jewels, glitter, and bold lips and eyeshadow. Both costumes and makeup grow more ornate after dark.
Throws and Favors
“Throws” are strands of beads, toys, and other novelties tossed from parade floats into the crowds along the routes. Throws provide a way for parade goers to directly participate in the Mardi Gras magic. Rex, King of Carnival, established throws in 1872 with glass beads and tiny trinkets. Over time, throws have expanded to include beaded necklaces, plush toys, cups, hats, T-shirts, and more. Many feature the parade krewe’s name or parade theme. Some of the most coveted throws include hand-decorated coconuts from Zulu and custom beads and medallions with krewe insignias. People bring bags to collect their hoard of loot. It’s considered good luck to catch throws at a high rate.
King Cake
King cake is the traditional Mardi Gras dessert served throughout the Carnival season. The ring cake is decorated with purple, green, and gold icing – the official colors of Mardi Gras. The cake contains a small plastic baby figurine inside. Tradition holds that the person who receives the baby in their cake slice must buy the next cake or host the next party. King cakes originated in France in the 12th century with a bean inside rather than a baby. The plastic baby came later. Bakers create elaborate and delicious king cake recipes with fillings like cream cheese, fruit, cinnamon, and more. King cakes are found in bakeries and served at parties across the Gulf Coast.
| Type of King Cake | Key Features |
|---|---|
| New Orleans | Brioche dough, sugar topping, colorful icing |
| Cajun | Filled with praline, cream cheese, or fruit |
| Creole | Less sweet, flaky French pastry |
| French | Puff pastry, almond cream filling |
Cajun and Creole Food
Fat Tuesday is a day for indulging in traditional Cajun and Creole foods before Lenten fasting begins. Classic Mardi Gras delicacies include fried catfish, jambalaya, red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, shrimp gumbo, po’ boys, muffulettas, chicken andouille gumbo, and more. The rich foods highlight Creole seasonings, Gulf seafood, Andouille sausage, and Cajun “holy trinity” ingredients of onion, celery, and bell pepper. Homes and restaurants prepare elaborate feasts to sustain revelers throughout the day. Sweet treats include pecan pralines, bread pudding with whiskey sauce, and beignets – square French doughnuts smothered in powdered sugar.
Pagan Roots and Symbolism
While Mardi Gras is tied to Christianity, it also has connections to pagan festivals welcoming Spring. Carnival season coincides with the rebirth of nature and emergence from winter. Fat Tuesday celebrations likely absorbed traditions from Roman Saturnalia, a December feast of leisure, and Lupercalia, a lively February fertility festival. The wearing of masks and costumes links to these Roman pagan rites. The abundant food and drink, parades, dancing, and giving of trinkets likewise mirror Saturnalian traditions and the excess before Lent. Mardi Gras colors also have pagan symbolism of power (purple), faith (green), and justice (gold). The apex of Mardi Gras energy reflects the coming of Spring.
Global Celebrations
Versions of Carnival are celebrated globally, including:
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Massive street parties and elaborate costumes
- Venice, Italy – Elaborate masks and costumes, gondola parades
- Cologne, Germany – “Crazy days” festival with comedy and masked balls
- Oruro, Bolivia – Parades with dancers, floats, and folk characters
- Trinidad and Tobago – Calypso music and dancers in masquerade
Each culture puts its unique spin on the festival leading up to Lent. Yet commonalities exist like pageantry, costumes, feasting, floats, and letting loose.
Conclusion
Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday gives people a final chance to indulge before the austerity of Lent. Traditions include parades, masquerade balls, elaborate costumes, king cake, Cajun cuisine, and joyful revelry. The holiday blends Christian and pagan symbolism as it ushers in the arrival of Spring. Though New Orleans hosts some of the biggest Fat Tuesday parties, various cultures worldwide celebrate Carnival season. After the excess of Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday arrives for fasting and reflection during the Lenten period. Regardless of where it is observed, Mardi Gras lets people feast, party, and embrace life before surrendering earthly pleasures for spiritual purposes.
