Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, so its date changes every year with Easter and falls in February or early March. In French-speaking tradition it is the last big carnival day before Lent, which once meant using up rich ingredients such as eggs, butter, milk and sugar before the fasting season began. That is why crepes, waffles and beignets are so closely linked to the day; in some parts of France, especially around Lyon, similar fritters are called bugnes. Children often go to school in costume, adults wear masks, wigs or face paint, and the simplest greeting is "Bon Mardi Gras !" The mood stays playful and loud until the eve of Mercredi des Cendres.

In Nice, Carnival crowds gather around Place Massena and the Promenade des Anglais for the Corso carnavalesque, with giant satirical floats, confetti and illuminated evening parades, while the Bataille de Fleurs sends flowers from decorated floats into the crowd. In Dunkirk, Mardi Gras falls within the long northern carnival season: costumed carnavaleux join a bande in the streets, sing local songs and stop at chapelles, temporary open-house party spaces. In Quebec, Mardi Gras is often marked more locally, with masked school activities, community dances and plates of beignes or crepes before Lent. A typical day begins with dressing up, continues with a parade or gathering, and ends with music and fried sweets.

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