From high-energy parades to colorful beads and masks, there are dozens of traditions involved in Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday. The holiday which is less than a week away, is just ahead of the start of the Lenten season.
Here’s everything you need to know about Mardi Gras.
When is Mardi Gras 2025?
Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, is on Tuesday, March 4 this year. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday.
Like Ash Wednesday and Easter, Mardi Gras’ date changes annually based on the Spring Equinox. Mardi Gras will always fall on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is always about seven weeks before Easter.
What is Mardi Gras?
A Mardi Gras reveler dangles a pair of beads off of a balcony on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day, Feb 13, 2013. Fat Tuesday, the traditional celebration on the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, is marked in New Orleans with parades and marches through many neighborhoods in the city.
It is a day of gluttonous indulgence, reflecting the practice of the last night of consuming rich, fatty foods ahead of the long Christian season of Lent which is marked with fasting and abstinence.
The day is immediately followed by Ash Wednesday on March 5, which marks the start of the Lenten season, a 40-day period of reflection before the joyful celebration that is Easter.
Mardi Gras is the last and “biggest day of celebration,” according to Mardi Gras New Orleans.
What are some other names for Mardi Gras?
Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, the end of Carnival. Mardi Gras has many names.
Mardi Gras also called Shrove Tuesday, stemming from the practice of “shriving,” or purifying oneself through confession before lent, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. And it is also referred to as “Carnival” which refers to the period of feasting that begins on Jan. 6 through Mardi Gras.
The day goes by other names as well. In south-central Pennsylvania, the day is called Fasnacht Day. In Europe, the day is dubbed Pancake Day.
What is Carnival?
Carnival marks a festive season that begins on Jan. 6 and is called “Twelfth Night,” also known as the Epiphany, and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. Many Roman-Catholic countries and communities celebrate Carnival, according to Britannica.
The final day of Carnival is Mardi Gras, which is always the final day before Ash Wednesday.
Is there a difference between Mardi Gras and Carnival?
Revelers plead without stretched arms for throws from riders in the Rex Parade in Canal Street on Mardi Gras Day. Fat Tuesday, the traditional celebration on the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, is marked in New Orleans with parades and marches through many neighborhoods in the city.
While Carnival is a season that takes place over weeks and months, Mardi Gras is just one day, specifically the last day of Carnival.
Mardi Gras is Carnival’s grand finale and is the day that ends the festive season.
What do the Mardi Gras colors represent?
According to Mardi Gras New Orleans, the holiday’s colors have a meaning. Gold represents power, green represents faith and purple is for justice.
What is King Cake and why is it eaten?
King Cake at Simple Simon Bakery in Appleton, Wis. on Monday, February 17, 2025. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
King cake is also known as the Twelfth Day cake because it celebrates Epiphany, a Christian holiday that commemorates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus 12 days after Christmas.
The cake is a cross between a coffee cake and a French pastry and traditionally contains a tiny plastic or porcelain baby figurine. Tradition calls on whoever finds the trinket in their slice of cake to host the next King cake gathering.
Where is Mardi Gras celebrated?
Floats in the Rex parade roll along St. Charles Avenue on Mardi Gras Day, Feb. 20, 2007,, in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is the second Mardi Gras celebration since Hurricane Katrina devasted the Gulf Coast region.
While one of the most famous Mardi Gras celebrations is in New Orleans, Louisiana, the holiday is celebrated across the globe, from North America, to South America, Europe and Asia.
The maps below show which countries hold Mardi Gras celebrations and which states hold the most notable celebrations in the U.S.
Includes reporting by the USA Today network and Democrat and Chronicle reporter Justice Marbury
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: When is Mardi Gras 2025? Date, history, and Fat Tuesday traditions
