Many people don’t understand the meaning of Fat Tuesday; most people become gluttonous and throw parties with a lot of food and activities without fully understanding why. This event is supposed to symbolize people preparing for Lent, so they eat fatty foods, have big parades, and huge gatherings as a sign of preparation for fasting and abstinence. Fat Tuesday allows people to prepare themselves and their minds to give up something for 40 days because that’s the time Jesus spent in the desert with nothing but temptation.

Today, Mardi Gras is largely celebrated by Roman Catholics. The first celebration of Mardi Gras was in Alabama on March 3, 1699; this was celebrated as a little party in a location called Pointe de Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday in English. The word “Mardi” is French for Tuesday and “Gras” is French for fat.  This tradition is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday and is spent eating fatty foods like meat, eggs, milk, etc.  People get together and enjoy the fatty foods before possibly giving those up for the season of Lent. According to History.com, “New Orleans and other French settlements began marking the holiday with street parties, masked balls, and lavish dinners.”  Other locations also have their spin on Fat Tuesday, like Carnival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Fat Tuesday has been a big tradition everywhere in the world and is a good tradition to help people get ready for the season of Lent.