Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A festive celebration: "Mardi Gras" refers to a carnival celebration held on Shrove Tuesday, the day before the Christian season of Lent begins.
   • The specific day: It also names the day itself, Shrove Tuesday, which is traditionally a final opportunity for feasting and revelry before the Lenten period of fasting and abstinence.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • We traveled to New Orleans to experience Mardi Gras. (We traveled to New Orleans to experience the carnival celebration.)
  • Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter Sunday. (The day is always 47 days before Easter Sunday.)

Advanced Usage

• "Mardi Gras season": The period of celebrations leading up to and including Shrove Tuesday, particularly in New Orleans.
  • The city decorates in purple, green, and gold for the entire Mardi Gras season.
• "Mardi Gras parade": A central feature of the celebration involving elaborate floats and costumed participants.
  • We caught beads from a float in the Mardi Gras parade.

Variants and Related Words

• Fat Tuesday: A direct English translation of the French term "Mardi Gras," meaning "Fat Tuesday."
• Carnival: Often used synonymously to describe the festive season culminating on Mardi Gras.
• Shrove Tuesday: The Christian name for the same day, emphasizing the tradition of being "shriven" (absolved of sins) before Lent.

Synonyms

• Carnival (in this specific context): A festive season involving public celebrations.
• Fat Tuesday: The literal translation.

Related Phrases

• "Laissez les bons temps rouler!": A Cajun French phrase meaning "Let the good times roll!" commonly associated with Mardi Gras celebrations in Louisiana.
• "King Cake": A traditional, decorated cake associated with Mardi Gras celebrations.

Noun

1. a carnival held in some countries on Shrove Tuesday (the last day before Lent) but especially in New Orleans
2. the last day before Lent