Fat Tuesday (February 17): The Last Feast Before the Fast

Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. It is marked by Mardi Gras in New Orleans and other places, where people prepare for the abstinence of Lent by gorging themselves with food and drink. It is often the case that people consume the opposite of what they plan to give up.

It is amazing to think that the debauchery seen on Fat Tuesday is practiced by some believers who will partake in a Lenten fast the next day. Many people go to destinations, like New Orleans or Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, on the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. Would you ever consider traveling for a pre-Lenten celebration?

Fat Tuesday Reveals 1 of 3 Fasting Tips

There are three tips for successfully fasting, like Catholics must do on Ash Wednesday, and Fat Tuesday displays one of them. Eating or drinking a lot the day before one fasts is a way to have a successful fast. The idea is to fill yourself up to prepare for the fast. Hopefully, a person will be full enough from the Fat Tuesday celebration that they will have no trouble at all fasting.

The other two tricks for a successful Ash Wednesday fast, by the way, are to take a nap on the day you fast, thereby shortening the day. A faster can also, actually should, drink a lot of water when they fast. There is a prohibition on drinking other things while fasting; a faster can drink as much water as they want.

Mardi Gras: A Notable Fat Tuesday Celebration

Colorful Mardi Gras parade float featuring a large, smiling jester head with vibrant hat and smaller jesters. Crowds watch from the street and balcony. Festive and lively atmosphere. — Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

Mardi Gras is also known as Shrove Tuesday. Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival in New Orleans. It is known as a preparation for Lent, which begins the next day, and consuming rich, fatty foods, most notably red meat and tasty desserts, is common.

Related practices associated with Carnival, which culminate on Fat Tuesday celebrations before the fasting and religious obligations associated with the penitential season of Lent. In countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, Mardi Gras is more usually known as Shrove Tuesday, derived from the word shrive, meaning “to administer the sacrament of confession to; to absolve.”

One food group that is common on Fat Tuesday is pancakes. Pasta is also common. Much like carb-loading for a marathon, preparation for a Lenten fast is to consume foods that are rich in carbohydrates. As a typical thing to give up during Lent is dessert, desserts like cake are something that is commonly consumed.

Mardi Gras often refers to the last day of Shrovetide (or you may hear Fastelavn or Carnival), and is synonymous with Shrove Tuesday. Some traditions, such as the one in New Orleans, Louisiana, consider Mardi Gras to stretch the entire period from Twelfth Night (the last night of Christmas, which begins Epiphany) to Ash Wednesday. Others treat the final three-day period before Ash Wednesday.

Mardi Gras happens around the world. Other notable celebrating includes those in Belgium, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. There is also another notable celebration in the United States. That one takes place in Mobile, Alabama.

Parting Shots

Fat Tuesday is the day immediately preceding Ash Wednesday, which kicks off the penitential season of Lent. The celebrations use one tried and true method of preparing for a fast, namely gorging oneself the day before in order to fill up and prepare for the fast. One idea is to consume foods that are rich in carbohydrates so that they stick around, so to speak, and quell the hunger that might result from fasting.

Disclaimer: This article contains a summary of the practices of Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, and Lent, as well as interpretive insights from the author. Interpretations of church teachings can differ, and this piece represents one approach.