Mardi Gras Season Quiz

From the French term "Mardi Gras" (literally "Fat Tuesday"), the term has come to mean the whole period of activity related to those events, beyond just the single day, often called Mardi Gras Day or Fat Tuesday. Another term for this day is Shrove Tuesday.

Lent is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer"”through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial-for Easter.

Mardi Gras is on the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Pope Gregory XIII (1582) helped place Mardi Gras on the day before Lent so that all the debauchery would be finished when it came time to fast and pray.

Wearing Mardi Gras beads during Lent is considered inappropriate and disrespectful because Lent is a period of solemnity and reflection in the Christian calendar. Mardi Gras, on the other hand, is a festive celebration that takes place before Lent begins. Wearing Mardi Gras beads during Lent can be seen as disregarding the somber nature of the season and not showing proper reverence.

It was scaled back but less severely than originally suggested.

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, is traditionally associated with eating pancakes. This day falls before the start of Lent, a period of fasting and reflection for Christians. Pancakes were commonly made on this day to use up ingredients like eggs, milk, and sugar that were traditionally given up during Lent. Therefore, the correct answer is pancakes.

Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is the final day of Carnival, which begins on the Feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 6.

In Mobile, Alabama, Mardi Gras events begin in November, followed by mystic society balls on Thanksgiving, then New Year's Eve, formerly with parades on New Year's Day, followed by parades and balls in January & February, celebrating up to midnight before Ash Wednesday.

All of the mentioned cities are famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations. New Orleans is particularly well-known for its extravagant and lively Mardi Gras parades, parties, and traditions. Rio de Janeiro in Brazil also hosts a vibrant and colorful carnival, which includes Mardi Gras celebrations. Binche in Belgium is renowned for its traditional Mardi Gras festival, featuring unique costumes and a parade of Gilles. Therefore, the correct answer is "All of the Above."

The first Mardi Gras parades were held in 1838. On Mardi Gras of 1857, the Mistick Krewe of Comus held its first parade. Comus is the oldest continuously active Mardi Gras organization.

In 1872 the Russian grand duke Alexis Romanoff visited New Orleans at Mardi Gras. A group of businessmen organized the Krewe of Rex to host a parade for the occasion, and appointed a "king for the day" so that the grand duke could have a royal reception. Naming kings and queens at Mardi Gras balls has been a tradition of the krewes ever since. Another tradition began with that royal visit: the Romanoff house colors"”purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power"”became the official colors of Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras arrived in North America with the LeMoyne brothers, Iberville and Bienville, in the late 17th century, when King Louis XIV sent the pair to defend France's claim on the territory of Louisiana. The explorers eventually found the mouth of the Mississippi River on March 3, 1699, Mardi Gras of that year. They made camp a few miles upriver, named the spot Point d'Mardi Gras and partook in a spontaneous party. This is often referred to as North America's first Mardi Gras.