Mardi Gras Corner

Mardi Gras Corner

mardi gras mask and beads What is Mardi Gras? Mardi Gras, which is French for Fat Tuesday, is the final day of the Carnival holiday season, and marks the end of the period before the traditional Catholic fasting of Lent begins. Mardi Gras is a time of raucous celebration and partying, including masked balls, feasting, and parades. The feasting has its origin in the need to use up all remaining meat, eggs and butter before the Lent fasting season.

When is Mardi Gras? Carnival season officially begins on Twelfth Night (January 6), and culminates the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras day lands on a different day each year (anywhere from February 3 to March 9), as it is dependent upon whichever day that Easter falls on.

In 2010, Mardi Gras day will be February 16th.



mardi gras parade Where is Mardi Gras celebrated? Though tied to a Christian holiday, Carnival has its roots in pagan times as a spring festival. Like many other pagan traditions, it was eventually transformed into a Christian tradition, and is currently celebrated around the world, especially in areas with a large Catholic population. In the United States, New Orleans has the largest and most well-known Mardi Gras parades. Rio de Janero in Brazil is regarded as having the wildest Carnival celebrations in the world, and Venice's Mardi Gras celebrations trace themselves back to pagan times.

Wondering about future Mardi Gras dates? Here are a few to help you plan ahead:

February 16, 2010

March 8, 2011

February 21, 2012

February 12, 2013

March 4, 2014

February 17, 2015

Mardi Gras Corner aims to help you celebrate Mardi Gras in your own way. Whether you will be traveling to one of the Carnival celebrations or simply displaying a festive Mardi Gras desktop wallpaper on your computer, we hope to make your Carnival celebration a fun and joyous one.

king cakeWith everything from Mardi Gras desktop wallpaper, to Mardi Gras history, King Cake recipes, parade schedules, and Mardi Gras lingo, you can find what you need at Mardi Gras corner to party the Carnival season away!

Mardi Gras Lingo

Mardi Gras: French for "Fat Tuesday". The last day of Carnival season before Lent begins.


Krewe: an organized group of costumed paraders in the annual Mardi Gras carnival.


King cake: A purple, green and gold ringed cake with a bean or plastic baby hidden inside. During Carnival season, a king cake is brought to a party. Whoever gets the hidden baby must bring a king cake to the next party.


Doubloon: Coins minted by krewes to be thrown from parade floats to Mardi Gras revelers


The Main Holidays

Christmas
Thanksgiving
Halloween
Valentine's Day
Easter

The Minor Holidays

4th of July
Groundhog Day
Cinco de Mayo
St. Patrick's Day
Mardi Gras