Mardi Gras Countdown

Mardi Gras, French for 'Fat Tuesday,' falls 47 days before Easter Sunday — the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. The date therefore varies each year along with Easter. The name refers to the tradition of consuming all the fatty, rich foods (meat, butter, eggs) in the house before the 40-day Lenten fast began, as these foods were historically forbidden during Lent. Mardi Gras has pre-Christian roots in the ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia — pagan celebrations of excess held in late winter. When Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, the Church incorporated these celebratory traditions into the pre-Lenten period rather than eliminating them. French explorers brought Mardi Gras to the Americas: Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville camped near the mouth of the Mississippi River on March 3, 1699 — Mardi Gras day — and named the spot Pointe du Mardi Gras. New Orleans was founded by French colonists in 1718 and became the center of American Mardi Gras celebration. New Orleans Mardi Gras is the most famous in the world outside of Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval. The New Orleans celebration lasts two weeks and culminates on Fat Tuesday with massive parades featuring elaborate floats, marching bands, and the tradition of throwing Mardi Gras beads and doubloons to spectators. The official Mardi Gras colors are purple (justice), gold (power), and green (faith). King cake — a ring-shaped pastry decorated in purple, gold, and green — is a traditional treat, with a small plastic baby baked inside; whoever finds it hosts the next party.

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