From New Orleans to India: International Mardi Gras Traditions

by Kerri Cooke

While New Orleans might be best known for Mardi Gras, the holiday is celebrated around the world under different iterations. Mardi Gras celebrations can be found under the guise of Carnival, Pancake Day and Martedi Grasso.

The largest Mardi Gras celebration outside of the United States is Carnival in Brazil, with the most notable celebrations happening in Rio de Janeiro. Carnival is held on the Friday before Lent and claims the top spot among popular holidays in the country. Revelers parade around cities dressed in elaborate costumes while singing and dancing the samba. The celebrations continue until noon on Ash Wednesday.

In the United Kingdom, Mardi Gras is known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. Historically, Christians would give up butter, eggs, sugar and fat for Lent, so they would utilize these foods in preparation for fasting. In England, ingredients were made into pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Legend has it that in 1445 one British woman was so engulfed with making pancakes that she lost track of time. When the church bells rang, she ran to church with the pancake and pan still in her hands. This inspired pancake races, which still exist to this day.

Carnival in Venice looks very much like it comes out of a storybook. Beginning two weeks before Ash Wednesday, elaborate parties are held around the city. The most well-known party is the Doge’s Ball, which is a masquerade ball. Attendees wear detailed Renaissance costumes to Festa Veneziana, which involves revelers sailing down the famous Venetian canals in gondolas. St. Mark’s Square hosts many events during Carnival, including naming the “Mary of the Carnival,” who is seen as the spirit of Carnival.

Believe it or not, Carnival is even celebrated in India. It is one of the few Christian traditions in Southeast Asia, and Goa’s Carnival is one of the largest Mardi Gras celebrations in India. Catholicism was introduced to Goa when the Portuguese conquered the city. Carnival has been celebrated since the 1700s but has evolved in the vein of Brazilian Carnival. Modern celebrations include a parade, a wine festival and a Samba dance. A designated person is named King Momo and rules over the celebration.

Let’s not forget French Carnival from which Louisiana’s celebrations originated from. The major Carnival celebration is held in Nice. Themes change every year and floats are decorated with papier-mâché. There’s also the flower parade. It boasts numerous floats decorated in fresh flowers, which are given to attendees. Dancers and acrobats mingle within the parade route.

Germany celebrates Carnival, locally known as Fasching, in many different cities. Traditional masks can be traced to the medieval period when people hid their identities while criticizing local government. The biggest celebration happens in Cologne and continues this satirical presentation. Parades depict current world leaders, presenting these figures as the bad guys, and provide an environment in which floats can address pressing social issues. On Fat Tuesday, straw figures are hung throughout Cologne to be burned as a sacrifice for revelers’ behavior during Carnival celebrations.

Each culture adds its own hallmarks to Mardi Gras. However, one thing remains the same. On Ash Wednesday, celebrations come to a halt and Lenten fasting begins until Easter proclaims the resurrection of Jesus Christ.