Carnival, Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day – Let The Good Times Roll!

Carnival is Here!  Carnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil and has become an event of huge extravaganza. Celebrated around the world in many Roman Catholic regions, Carnival is an annual festival held between the Friday afternoon (51 days before Easter) and Ash Wednesday at noon.

The festival marks the 40 days before Easter, when devout Roman Catholics abstain from pleasures, including the consumption of meat. This is intended to remember the fasting of Jesus, who spent 40 days in the desert before beginning his ministry.  In fact, some suggest that the word carnival is derived from the Latin 'Carne Vale' which means a farewell to meat signifying the coming period without meat.

Despite its original religious beginnings, Carnival displays humanity’s festive nature where the festivals offer an opportunity for final indulgence before the lent period. Mardi Gras, which is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, displays the final expression of feast and celebration, and has become a tradition in New Orleans, as well.

While Brazil is home to perhaps the greatest carnival on Earth, many other regions also enjoy the tradition annually.

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - An estimated two million people turn out on Rio’s streets every day of carnival to watch performances from around 200 samba schools and 300 neighborhood street bands. It is a four day celebration, from Friday through Tuesday (Mardi Gras) featuring amazing entertainment, parades, and colors.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans, USA –The festivities actually begin in various locales up to 2 weeks before Fat Tuesday (the eve of Ash Wednesday), but the culmination is around the final celebration on Mardi Gras day. The festivities draw three quarters of a million people to New Orleans annually.

Carnaval in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife – Festivities in Tenerife include performances from over a hundred music groups and large fantastic public dancing stages. The televised Carnival queen competition is a key event. For many people, Tenerife’s Carnival is second only to Rio’s.

Carnevale di Venezia  in Venice, Italy - A masquerade affair, all about capturing centuries-old refined social customs while donning a mask and an elaborate costume. Carnevale is an elaborate display of costumes and culture with the backdrop for one of Europe’s most oldest and picturesque cities. 

Quebec Winter Carnival in Quebec City, Canada – In Quebec, the festivities take advantage of the winter wonderland. The carnival’s all about winter sports including dog-sled racing, sleigh racing, canoe racing, snow sculpture contests, snow bathing, ice skating and sledding.  Featuring 50 meters wide, by 20 meters high, and 20 meters deep, the official Ice Palace is a fascinating attraction.

Fun Fact: Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras all refer to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.  It is the last day to indulge before Lent. 

Pancakes are associated with this day preceding Lent because making and eating pancakes (or crepes) were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent.  The fasting period emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from decadent foods such as meat, dairy products, and eggs.

“Let the Good Times Roll!”

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