A Brief History of Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is a great time to visit the Americas, as Tony Freeman will agree. Celebrated

throughout the Americas and the Latin continent, Mardi Gras is a Christian festival and

cultural phenomenon. Dating back thousands of years, Mardi Gras' roots reach back to pagan

spring and ancient fertility rites. Today the festival is celebrated all over the world - largely

in countries with large Roman Catholic populations - on the day before Lent begins.

The Origins of Mardi Gras

Despite the festival's adoption by the church, Mardi Gras's origins lie in ancient pagan

festivals: a celebration of spring and fertility. The raucous Roman festivals of Lupercalia and

Saturnalia are probably the earliest assimilation of today's Mardi Gras. When Christianity

arrived in Rome, these popular local traditions were incorporated within the new faith by the

then religious leaders (a more socially acceptable task than trying to abolish them altogether).

The result was that the excess of Mardi Gras became a prelude to lent: 40 days of abstinence

between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe: France; Spain; Germany and England, Mardi Gras

hitched a ride. Traditionally, in the lead up to lent, the devout would binge on "luxury" foods

in their homes: milk, meat, eggs and cheese, preparing for several weeks of fasting: eating

only grains, vegetables and fish. The term "Mardi Gras" hails from France. The literal

translation is "Fat Tuesday". The word "carnival" is Latin. Its translation is surprising; far

from a party. It stems from the word carnelevarium, meaning to remove meat from the diet.

The most famous Mardi Gras is held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, drawing visitors like Tony

Freeman to the country each year for the party atmosphere. The Rio Carnival is the biggest

Mardi Gras celebration on the planet, the street carnival drawing two million visitors each

day. The celebration dates back to 1723. A typical parade is filled with floats and

processions of revellers. The Rio Carnival is a showcase for the capital city's 200 dance

schools, its students divided into five leagues or divisions. Rio's samba schools are

composed of collaborations of local neighbours, united by a geographical or regional

common background.

The street carnival is a parade which takes place at the Sambadrone. Balls are also held on

the Cocacabana Beach and Palace, with off-shoot parties springing up in numerous locations.

One of the most famous Rio parades is the Banda de Ipanema which was started in 1965.

Rio Carnival begins in earnest on the Friday before Ash Wednesday, ending on that day with

a Winner's Parade held on the following Saturday.

Outside of Brazil, Mardi Gras is celebrated in numerous countries: from Belgium, Germany,

the Netherlands and Sweden to Italy; even Australia. Nevertheless, it is the Americas that are

most famous for their Mardi Gras celebrations, from Brazil and Colombia to New Orleans.