Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone!

I finally have a topic to talk about. And it's Fat Tuesday! Albeit a little late to be talking about it, but it'll be interesting. Promise.

So Fat Tuesday aka Mardi Gras, pretty much everyone knows exists. May know a little about it. May even party for it. But how many know the history behind it. (Me? Doing history? Blasphemy...) Well, I wanted to do a little research on it and find out some stuff.

So, Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. The first day of Lent. Lent was originally a forty day long religious event to prepare the believer for the annual commemoration during the "Holy Week" that ends with Easter - the resurrection of Christ.

Nowadays, however, Lent is the 40 day period where people give up their bad habit for the 40 days. Coffee, alcohol, unnecessary shopping, and desserts are all very common things to give up. People also make goals for the 40 days - such as working out half an hour a day or praying 10 minutes every day.

Mardi Gras is french for Fat Tuesday and it is "officially" the same thing. However, Mardi Gras is no longer a day in many towns. Mardi Gras events begin in November in Mobile, Alabama! Long party... Mardi Gras is celebrated all around the world in different ways. In the Netherlands it is called "Carne Vale" which means "Goodbye to the Meat" in Latin.

The United States, however, is the biggest party of them all when it comes to Fat Tuesday. We are the most obese nation in the world after all. ;) And we love to party. It's what we're good at. The best place to go for a Mardi Gras party after all is in the heart of the southern US. New Orleans, Louisiana. In fact, New Orleans throws such huge and brilliant parties, that part of their culture is based around this celebration and they are well known for their Mardi Gras parties. However, unlike most parties, Mardi Gras parties end abruptly at the stroke of midnight. Like Cinderella, but for the whole party.

This day is also known as Pancake Tuesday (Canada and other English countries), Fastnacht Day (among German American populations), Malasada Day (Hawaii), Fettisdagen (Sweden), Sprengidagur (Iceland), and Užgavėnės (Lithuania).

So, crazy stuff, right? Whether you're having a huge party in New Orleans or you're sipping your last cup of coffee for the next 40 days. Have a happy Mardi Gras!

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