"Laissez les bons temps"
Nothing about Mardi Gras is predictable – not even the date. Unlike Christmas or the 4th of July which always fall on the same calendar day, the only thing you can count on for sure with Carnival is that Fat Tuesday will fall on, well, a Tuesday. That’s because the date of Easter is tied to the moon (it’s always the first Sunday after the full moon that follows the spring equinox) and Mardi Gras is tied to Easter.
Because Easter can fall on any Sunday between March 23 and April 25, and Mardi Gras is always 47 days before Easter, Zulu and Rex can roll on any Tuesday between Feb. 3 through March 9.
Mardi Gras Language
- Laissez les bons temps: “Let the good times roll.” This is a popular Cajun-French saying during the carnival season that means, “Let the good times roll.”
- Lundi Gras: This is the French term for “Fat Monday,” the day before Mardi Gras.
- Mardi Gras: The French term for “Fat Tuesday,” the day of the Mardi Gras celebrations.
- Ash Wednesday: This signifies the end of the Mardi Gras season. All the craziness of Mardi Gras comes to an end when the clock strikes Midnight on Ash Wednesday.
- King Cake: This is a festive-looking cake that uses Danish dough, cinnamon, glaze topping and sprinkles. There is also a plastic baby that is hidden within the cake, which is meant to represent baby Jesus on the Epiphany.
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In the Heart of Mardi Gras
