Mardi Gras, French for Fat Tuesday, will be celebrated Tuesday. The day represents lively celebrations before Lent, the period between Ash Wednesday and Easter. During Lent, people express repentance through fasting, prayer, sacrifice and self-denial. Here are five facts about the celebration.
1 Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter.
2 Mardi Gras is an official holiday in Louisiana.
3 If you get zonked by beads, coconuts, doubloons or other items thrown during parades in Louisiana, too bad. State law limits the liability of parade officials unless the act was a deliberate and wanton act or gross negligence.
4 According to a New Orleans Mardi Gras website, women baring their breasts to get Mardi Gras tokens has only become an issue in the past decade and was initiated by students on spring break who had too much to drink.
5 Mardi Gras is also called Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday and Bursting Tuesday, with reference to the rich, fatty meals of meat, butter, sugar and flour that people often partook of before giving up those items for Lent.
Tammie Smith
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