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When did Mardi Gras get the party started? And how has it evolved?
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From the earliest Carnival to the upcoming celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans, and other cities around the world, let’s take a look at how Mardi Gras has gradually transformed from a specifically Catholic festival preceding the sacrifices of Lent to a more secular annual event.
Rio de Janeiro hosts a huge celebration of Carnival every year. Learn more about the great city's history in this MagellanTV documentary.
What Were the First Carnivals Like?
The modern word “Carnival” derives from the Latin phrase “carnem levare,” which literally means “remove meat. Without referring to a specific date on today’s calendar, “Carnival” generally refers to any festivities that take place in the months from the Feast of the Epiphany to the few days before Lent. But if we are to single out a particular day, Carnival is most often associated with Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras.
The earliest carnivals coincided with the Roman holiday of Saturnalia, which historians also regard as a rather licentious celebration. As the Roman pantheon eventually yielded to Catholicism, the purpose of these carnivals evolved from wanton excess to more benign festivities before the arrival of Lent and its strictures. During the disciplined 40 days of Lent, many Catholics would (and still do) refrain from eating meat and abstain from other favorite foods or activities.
How Did Carnival and Mardi Gras Become Entwined?
Today, countries with a substantial Roman Catholic population put their own spin on Carnival, with Mardi Gras being the primary day of celebration for most, including the U.S. But Mardi Gras isn’t the only public event that precedes Lent. For example, in Germany, celebrants mainly observe the Feast of the Epiphany, which is on January 6 – way before Mardi Gras.
Over time, Carnival would graduate to the colorful maelstrom of masks, beads, and King Cake we know today. Around 50 countries wave the purple, green, and gold banners of Mardi Gras each year, with over a million celebrants in New Orleans alone.
1960s postcard shot of Mardi Gras crowds on Canal Street in New Orleans (Credit: Grant L. Robertson, via Wikimedia Commons)
How Did Mardi Gras Arrive in New Orleans?
Even after the association between Carnival and Mardi Gras became more consistent, the holiday had a long way to go before it was absorbed as a signature of New Orleans culture. Historians credit early French-Canadian explorers with celebrating America’s first Mardi Gras in 1699.
It almost escaped their attention completely that the day they chose coincided with Mardi Gras. Throwing a small celebration, they named their camp, Pointe du Mardi Gras. The camp was a couple dozen miles south of what would become New Orleans in the next few years.
After the French officially founded the city of New Orleans in 1718, citizens celebrated Mardi Gras regularly without a massive parade. The earliest record of the city throwing the huge party we know today dates to 1837. Twenty years later, festivities would include extravagant floats to become the singular celebration of Carnival that New Orleans hosts every year.
But Mardi Gras in New Orleans isn’t the largest Carnival celebration in the world. That distinction belongs to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where the party goes on for a week and draws around 2 million people each day. Now that’s really letting the good times roll!
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Title Image: Masked lovers at Carnival in Venice, Italy, 2010 (Credit: Grant Kovalchek, via Wikimedia Commons)
