French 101: Lesson 3: Mardi Gras

A lesson on culture more than the ins and outs of spelling and grammar.

The entire point of this PSA is to inform you that mardi gras literally means "Fat Tuesday."

mardi = Tuesday

gras = fat

Consequently, you cannot have the following exchange in good conscience:

"Hey! What are you doing for Mardi Gras?"

"Going to New Orleans!"

"Really?! Will you still be there on Fat Tuesday?"

"Yeah!"

. . . This makes absolutely no sense.

Allow me to reiterate:

MARDI GRAS = FAT TUESDAY

Mardi gras, Fat Tuesday, is the last day of Carnivale, the festive season preceding Lent. When most people say "Mardi Gras" what they should be saying is "Carnivale." The celebrations in New Orleans date back to French colonial rule.

Now, let's go back through our dialogue, adapting it in light of our newfound knowledge:

"Hey! What are you doing for Carnivale?"

"Going to New Orleans!"

"Really?! Will you still be there on Mardi Gras?"

"Yeah!"

Much better.