Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras

Lent comes before Easter.

People do not eat treats in Lent.

There are about 5 weeks in Lent.

Before Lent begins they eat pancakes.

So before Lent begins they have fun!

Shrove Tuesday is 47 days before Easter Sunday. In some countries it is called Mardi Gras, which means ‘fat Tuesday’.  In Italy it is called carnevale, the word for carnival.

The day after Shrove Tuesday is called Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of a time called Lent, which ends on Easter Sunday.  During Lent Christians ate very little, just very plain food. They could not have any parties or good times during lent, but went to church and were very serious.

In the days before fridges and freezers, people had to use up the food they were not allowed to eat during Lent rather than let it go bad. So the day before Lent they used up all the eggs, milk, butter and cream by making pancakes, cakes or pastries. Another name for Shrove Tuesday is Pancake Tuesday.

Thin pancakes are called crepes (say cr-ay-ps), which is a French word. They are rolled or folded with a yummy filling inside.

The word shrove is an old word meaning to confess, or tell a secret. Christians went to church to confess bad things they had done, so they were forgiven before Lent.

Because Lent was a long time when people could not feast or have parties, they had a last celebration on Shrove Tuesday. People had parties and balls, and there were parades and dancing and music. There were bands and dancing in the streets so everyone could join in.

New Orleans Mardi Gras necklaces that are thrown to the crowds at the parade

Today the rules about Lent are not so strict, but people still celebrate on Shrove Tuesday. In some countries celebrations are only on the Tuesday, but in others it is a 3 or 4 day festival.

In the city of New Orleans in the USA, there is a famous parade called Mardi Gras, and people travel great distances to join in the fun. People wear very fancy masks, and the shops are full of beautiful masks for sale. There is a huge parade with lots of floats. People wearing masks and fancy costumes ride in the floats. They throw necklaces made of big beads into the crowd. It is good luck to catch one.
Can you see the bundles of bead necklaces the people on the float are carrying? They are throwing them to the crowd.

Some cities in Germany also have a big carnival.The streets are jammed full of people in costumes and masks, all having a great time.

The city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is also famous for its Mardi Gras celebrations. The streets are full of dancing and music and noisy fun. The Mardi Gras in Brazil lasts for several days.

Dancers in Rio de Janeiro

The city of Venice in Italy calls its celebration Carnevale. It goes for about two weeks  and ends on Shrove Tuesday. People wear beautiful masks and very fancy costumes.  Some masks cover the full face but some cover just the eyes. Some people wear their masks for two weeks.

Some people dressed in fancy costumes and wearing masks in Venice at Carnevale.

Shops in Venice and in New Orleans sell lots of beautiful masks so people can join in the carnival fun. These two cities are famous for the masks that are made there, so they are always in the shops, not just at carnival time.

So whatever it is called, the idea is to have a few days of good food and lots of fun before settling down to more than a month of being serious and not eating much!

If you use any part of this in your own work, acknowledge the source in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras [online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2010)

Updated May 2010 ©kidcyber Photographs on this page © [2007] Jupiterimages