Fat Tuesday!

Somehow the French translation is more infamous: MARDIS GRAS!!! As long as I remain an accountant I will never be able to soak in this event. I know I would like to see it someday. I understand New Orleans has something of a Mardis Gras for Halloween, but that's not what this blog entry is about. Learn about Mardis Gras on answers.com:

http://www.answers.com/topic/mardi-gras

Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday" or "Pancake Day". It is the final day of Carnival (English:IPA: [kaː(ɹ)nɨvəl] and Romance languages:IPA: [karnaval]). It is a celebration that is held just before the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent. The feast should not be confused with the Swedish Fettisdagen (Fat Tuesday) or the Polish Tłusty Czwartek (which translates to Fat Thursday).

Dates

The date can vary from February 3 to March 9 in non-leap years or February 4 to March 9 in leap years. Like Lent, the date is dependent on that of Easter.

Mardi Gras falls on the following dates in the following years:

• 2007 – February 20
• 2008 – February 5
• 2009 – February 24
• 2010 – February 16
• 2011 – March 8
• 2012 – February 21
• 2013 – February 12
• 2014 – March 4

Mardi Gras and The Rio de Janeiro Carnival

The annual Carnival that is held at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil also has relations with the Mardi Gras. Actually the celebrations of the Carnival ends on "Mardi Gras". This festival is an annual event that is held 2 weeks before the traditional Christian fasting of Lent. Thousands of people from across Brazil and also from other parts of the world come to attend the festivities. Carnival comes with a lot of music, good food, color and of course the Samba dance. And of course there is the Mardi Gras, that becomes an added attraction.