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Mardi Gras
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the carnival.
Mardi Gras, Carnival

Celebrations in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Also called Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday
Type Christian, Cultural
Significance Celebration period before fasting season of Lent
Celebrations Parades, parties
Date Day before Ash Wednesday, 47 days before Easter
2018 date February 13
2019 date March 5
2020 date February 25
Frequency Annual
Related to Shrove Tuesday; Carnival, Shrove Monday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Užgavėnės, Maslenitsa, Valentine's Day

Mardi Gras (/ˈmɑːrdiɡrɑː/), also called Shrove Tuesday,[1] or Fat Tuesday,[2][3][4][5] in English, refers to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday", reflecting the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

Related popular practices are associated with Shrovetide celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Mardi Gras is also known as Shrove Tuesday, which is derived from the word shrive, meaning "confess".[1]