Mardi Gras Information: Lean Web Sites for Fat Tuesday
Mardi Gras is more than just a debauched free-for-all: In fact, the history of Mardi Gras is steeped in tradition and religious meaning. This Mardi Gras Information Web Guide shows you Fat Tuesday in all its incarnations. Use these resources to learn about Mardi Gras traditions, and find help throwing your own Fat Tuesday celebration.
Expand All Guide SectionsHistory of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras is more than just an excuse for wild debauchery during Spring Break. Below you'll learn about the history of Mardi Gras and how many Mardi Gras traditions came to be.
Insights for the History of Mardi Gras
- Not unlike the celebration, many Mardi Gras Web sites feature bright colors, music and various so-called "bells and whistles" that can make navigation difficult.
- “Mardi Gras” is French for “Fat Tuesday” and technically refers to a single day: the Tuesday immediately before Ash Wednesday. In your research you’ll also see the phrase Shrove Tuesday, which is another way that Christians refer to Mardi Gras.
- Mardi Gras is often associated with Carnivale, but the two celebrations are different. Carnivale (spelling varies depending on which country is doing the celebrating) is the period beginning on the Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, and continuing until Mardi Gras Day. In New Orleans, however, you’ll often hear Mardi Gras used interchangeably with Carnivale to refer to the entire period.
Top Sites for the History of Mardi Gras
The History Channel
offers extensive coverage of the history behind Mardi Gras, including the influence of Paganism and Greek and Roman mythology. Photos and videos from Mardi Gras past round out the coverage.
PBS
translated its two-hour television documentary of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras celebration into an online learning tool. Delve further than debauchery and beads with the “People and Events” section.
The BBC
provides background on Shrove Tuesday in its Religion and Ethics section on Christianity. Learn about celebrations, traditional dishes (pancakes!), and activities associated with the day.
Mardi Gras Celebrations
New Orleans is practically synonymous with Mardi Gras, but around the world numerous cities ... read more »
Mardi Gras Party Ideas
Put your own stamp on Fat Tuesday with some Mardi Gras party ideas. On the Web, ... read more »
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