Also known as Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, February 9, 2016 is Fat Tuesday, a celebratory day of colorful and eccentric costumes, rich foods and elaborate parades. This holiday is a day of excess before the period of personal sacrifice and moderation associated with Lent. During Lent it is common to practice penance by altering various habits, especially those which relate to food and spending time on spiritual reflection and rejuvenation.
Shrove Tuesday is celebrated all over the world, from Quebec to Rio de Janeiro to Sydney. In the United States, Mardi Gras is commonly associated with New Orleans, where mass migrations of people gather for a day of debauchery and revelry. Many Christians consume pancakes or other foods consisting of dairy and eggs, a practice originating from the Middle Ages when practitioners needed to use up meat, dairy, and eggs before fasting during Lent.
Niagara Foundation would like to wish our readers the happiest of Shrove Tuesdays!
By Jules Peaslea, Communications Intern
February 9, 2016