Every year, usually falling within the month of February, Roman-Catholic influenced cultures around the world celebrate the holiday known as ‘Mardi Gras’ also known as ‘Fat Tuesday.’ The celebration is an old and grand tradition that honors debauchery (indulging in pleasures) just before Lent begins with Ash Wednesday for Christians. Festival days vary city to city, but the trademark masks, festive parades, and glittering colors of green, purple, and gold are a worldwide tradition.

From the grand capital of Paris, France, the swinging suburbs of News Orleans, to even Brazil streets with their famous Brazilian Carnaval, the world is celebrating. The history of Mardi Gras can be traced to the Romans. According to historians, Mardi Gras dates back hundreds of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the raucous Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. When Christianity arrived in Rome, religious leaders decided to merge the new faith and the old local traditions, as this was an easier task than abolishing the old altogether. As a result, the Mardi Gras season became a prelude to Lent, the 40 days of penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. With Christianity spreading throughout Europe, Mardi Gras also began to take roots around the world.
When Europe began to colonize the New World obviously their celebrations and traditions would take root there as well. It is believed the first Mardi Gras in the Americas was officially celebrated on March 2, 1699; when French-Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville arrived at a plot of ground 60 miles south of New Orleans, and named it “Pointe du Mardi Gras” on the eve of said holiday. By the 1730s, Mardi Gras was celebrated openly in New Orleans.